Acacia Lily Yarrow Coin: Jabberjay
by KelsNicole92
Summary: *Final story in Acacia series* The rebellion is starting, but before they can do anything, they need to get their Jabberjay back. But what if she is put back into the arena, before they can reach her? What will happen to her and the others?
1. Chapter 1: Saving Acacia?

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! The last story for Acacia! :( I don't know how to feel about it right now, because a part of me is excited and the other part of me is like nooooooooo! Thank you for all of the support on the first two and I hope that the last one is as good as the last two. :D This story is dedicated to two people who have supported me with this story since the beginning: The Pen My Sword and It-Was-Enchanting. Thank you to everyone who's supported me in anyway with these stories! **

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(You'll see why it starts out in Beth's POV! :D )**

Beth's POV:

Odysseus is hurrying us onto the hovercraft, we have to leave before Alwin realizes what's going on. If he came with us chances are that he would either be killed or caught. So we had to do what was best for him and it killed me not to tell him. Taking a deep breath I sit down in one of the chairs and stare at Odysseus, he looks like he's feeling a little guilty. Right when I'm about to say something, he gives one quick shake of the head and I sigh.

"We can't take him. This is for his own good." Odysseus says this in a strong voice and I know that its killing him to do this. "Beth...there is a reason why I insisted that you come on this mission. You have a...different mission then the others, but its just as important."

I stare at him not understanding the words that came from his lips. "What are you talking about?"

"Sophie, she is in the Capital. The reason why the Capital took her, was because the President and his wife could not produce a child." I stare at him in shock and he nods his head. My hand goes to the locket that I keep in my shirt and I want revenge on the people who took my sister from me, from us. "She was chosen for a few reasons, because she looks like the President and his wife, Sophie was young enough for them to hope that she never remembers anything about it and because she was smart for her age. If you would have the same hair color as Sophie, you might have been in her shoes or they might have taken you both."

The ride to the Capital doesn't take as long as I would think, but we stop and when we see a truck for the Peacekeepers to be transported around the Districts. Odysseus smiles at everyone and he gives a tall man a signal. I think that the tall mans name is Ferguson. But him and Odysseus slowly creep out to the Peacekeepers, we watch as they quickly overtake them. We all walk out from behind the rocks and Odysseus orders everyone to change.

We get into the large truck and they start to drive towards the Capital. Everyone seems calm and when we reach the tunnel is when everyone starts to freak out. All of us hold our breaths as the darkness surrounds us and I feel like something is going to jump out at us. Once we are out of the tunnel we head follow another vehicle like ours. I feel like everything's running too smoothly as we enter the gates and they close behind us. Tay stayed behind at the hovercraft, just in case something were to go wrong.

"Okay, everyone knows their mission." Everyone nods their heads as Odysseus leads us into the large building. Now there's no going back. "Be careful and we meet back here in an hour...understand?"

Acacia POV:

My whole body is aching and I can't support my own weight anymore. Some how they expect us to go into an area and fight each other. But I can't kill anyone, not anyone who is here with me. A tear falls down my cheek and I look up to see someone walk into the cell. Seven of us are going in and they will only allow one person to leave the arena alive. This time I have the feeling that they are going to kill me before I have the chance to make it out. My eyes close, but reopen when I feel someone touch me on the cheek. Looking up I almost gasp, its Lillian. The expression on her face and in her eyes is of sadness.

"Lillian. It can't be you..." My voice is barley a whisper and I watch as she nods her head. She looks around frantically and I know that she's putting herself in danger by coming down here. "What are you doing down here? You have to go or else you might get hurt."

She hands me a piece of paper and I quickly open it. _They are sending a rescue mission, but it might come too late. All of you might be in the arena before they are even halfway here. Odysseus is sending them out in the morning, in a few hours and it should take them a day or two to get here. In this Hunger Games there will be no chariots, they are going to make you look nice and do the interviews. As soon as the interviews are done, all of you will be in the arena. Hector, they are __going to kill him if you are the last one standing and than they will kill you._

The note in my hand is being crumbled up and I quickly give it back to her. She stares at me as tears start to fall down my cheeks. I don't know what to do anymore, they've won and I've lost. Even if by some miracle I were to win the Hunger Games, I would still die. Jazmine, Hector, Breanne, Ashlee, Joanna, Ethan and my father would die because of me. Maybe I could make it easy for all of them, why should they be punished because of me? I've been in this hell hole for a few weeks now and the only thing that happens is that I get weaker as the days pass by. When I look back up I see that Lillian is gone and one of the guards walks in a few minutes later. A small smile on their lips as they put down a piece of metal with food on it.

For some reason the guard looks different to me, as though I know the person. I shake my head a little and try to shake that thought off. The guard goes into the other cell and does the same thing. Slowly I nibble on the food and try to not think about going back into the arena. Hasn't everyone here been through enough? Forcing us to go into another Hunger Games, for some of us this will be our third Hunger Games, it will be our last...

"Aca." I hear Ethan's voice hiss, but I don't look up. My eyes stay on the bread in front of me, the only thing that is keeping me alive right now and Alwin. "Aca."

With a small sigh I look up and see that they are all standing in front of our cell, Ashlee's and mine. Ethan pushes my door open and we stand up, both of us supporting each other. Neither of us can walk on our own and everyone knows it. Once we get to the cell door, we fall over and Ethan takes me, of course my father insists on carrying me. Carefully Ethan picks up Ashlee and we start down the hallway. I look down and see that they have taken their pieces of metal with them. The metal can be used as a weapon.

"Aca? Aca?" The voice makes everyone jump and when I look up I see that its Beth. She is in a Peacekeepers uniform and she smiles at me. "Oh, good. I've found you...all of you follow me..."

But I see someone behind her and I'm shocked to see that its Sophie. There's a small smile on her lips, but she looks as though she can't take anything else. We start to head out and I'm thankful that we have Sophie with us. She can get us out of a situation, as the President's daughter.

**OH MY GOD! NO ALWIN POV? NOOOO! Haha, sorry! The next chapter will start out with Alwin's POV, maybe the whole chapter will be from his POV? Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! I wanted to leave where I left off-kind of, so the rescue mission! :D Do you think that they'll succeed? :D What did you think? Like it? **


	2. Chapter 2: And The Games Begin

**Hey everyone! I hope that all of you liked the first chapter and that all of you liked the first two. Thank you for reading and thank you to It-Was-Enchanting for the review. Hopefully all of you like this chapter. This should be a fun one to write-not fun fun, but you know what I mean. Okay, I'll let you get to the second chapter of the story.**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Another thank you to I'mWithTheMockingjay and CatLoverCato. You two gave me support during the first two and I'm sorry for not putting you two in the first chapter. :D )**

Alwin POV:

My hand slams against the table as I wait for them to return. It's been days since they left and no one told me anything about a rescue mission! How could they do this to me? Beth and I were on the same side, why didn't she tell me? Oh, right because Odysseus is calling the shots and she probably didn't know about it. I keep my eyes on the TV screen, waiting for something to change, but so far nothing's happened. My blood is boiling and I want to punch something or someone. Odysseus better bring her back to me or else he will be the person that I punch. Someone walks into the lunch room and I look up to see who it is. Mary Anna smiles at me and sits down next to me. I know why she came to see me, its because James is in the Capital trying to save the others. The two people who she relies on most are both in the Capital and they might not come back.

"I believe in them, you should too. They are coming back..." Mary Anna says and I look up at her. She must have lost her mind if she believes in Odysseus and his lies! "Don't you trust them? Acacia is going to come back and she will lead the rebellion."

Silently I start to shake my head and look down at the table that we are sitting at. "You are wrong, Mary Anna. They are lying to us and none of them might make it back. Another Hunger Games is being planned and I don't trust Odysseus to bring her back to me. I'm afraid that she's going to go back into the arena and that I'll loose her forever. How can you trust them?"

"It's better then having no hope." She tells me in a soft voice and I stare at her. This girl with the dark hair pulled back and the startling hazel eyes. "You have to believe in something or you don't stand for anything."

"Look at what he's already done and you really trust him? They are in the Capital because of him!" She stares at me and I feel more anger rising up inside of me. I shake my head and know that no matter how much I fight with her, she won't agree with me. "Odysseus was supposed to save her, not me! He saved the wrong person and now I'm stuck here without her! Do you know how hard that is?"

"He got us out and I believe in him. I believe in all of them. Maybe you should try it and not hold all this anger in." She stands up and starts to walk away from me, but she stops before she gets out the door. Her eyes are full of emotion as she turns back to face me. "You might not believe me, but I know what its like to have to wait and see if someone that you love is going to come back to you. Lenny, he is my best friends younger brother...he's always loved me. My whole family was destroyed and he is the last thing that I have left-the last person."

I sit here in shock as she walks away from me. With a sigh I get up and walk after her, she turns back around when she hears me walking behind her. She looks surprised when she sees that I've followed her, but she stops. The tears that are falling down her cheeks make me feel even worse. Wordlessly I walk over to her and I pull her into a hug. Standing here we hug each other and cry. Mary Anna is crying harder then I am and she is starting to shake. We let go of each other and smile at each other.

"I'm sorry, Mary Anna." She nods her head and I know that I'm forgiven. "You are right...I believe in them."

Right at that moment the TV's come to life and we see the Capital. The President's home is on fire and my heart sinks as they report that some of the prisoners have escaped. But that's not the worst part, the President's daughter was taken hostage. What the hell did they just do?

Acacia POV:

We are almost there, we are almost there...there is a loud clicking sound and everyone turns around to see what it is. A man is standing in front of us holding a gun. Shit...we've been caught and now they have more of us to compete in their Hunger Games. Someone grabs me from behind and I'm pulled over to the other guy. The fear that's in my allies eyes is clear, but my dad does something that I wasn't expecting anyone to do. He grabs Sophie and holds a piece of metal to her throat. I know that this changes things, because my father is threatening the President's daughter's life.

"Let go of her now." One of the guards hiss. But they start to back out the door. "NOW!"

My father stops, but Ethan is caught next. Both of us are standing here, useless and we both know that we are going to have to stay. "Let go of them and I'll give you back her. Do we have a deal?"

"There is no bargaining! Give us back Sophie!" I hear the other guard demand. Once Sophie is out of the Capital, I know that they are going to be in trouble for not stopping them from taking her. "Hector Yarrow, give her back now or else you will die! Do you understand?"

"If I die, then she dies." He says back at them. Odysseus is staring at me as though he wants to do something, but he can't do anything. "Do you understand?"

Odysseus stares at us and holds up his hands. "If you give them back the boy and girl, you can have me. What do you say? A fair trade?"

Everyone knew that wasn't going to work and before anyone knows what's happening, the others turn and run out the door. We are forced to stay with one of the guards, while the other pursues the others. But he comes back a few minutes later empty handed. Ethan and I are ushered into the President's office. Two guards are standing beside us as the President walks in and I know what's coming. Since Sophie was taken, we are going to be punished for it and I wish that there was a way that we could be out of this whole mess.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here? Acacia and Ethan." He smiles at me, but I can see the fear in his eyes. The girl that he called his daughter has been taken hostage-or so he thinks. "Now, what am I going to do with the two of you? We will still have a Hunger Games and it will be unlike any other."

I shake my head a little. "You only have two people, how is that possibly going to work?"

"Acacia, you underestimate me. Don't you realize that I could simply get more children or perhaps do something even better?" He smiles a wide evil smile at me. "You two will be locked into an arena, where you two will experience the worst fears that you have and at the end...you two will face off to kill each other. Of course, if Acacia wins...the torment will never stop for you. Let the Hunger Games begin."

We are ushered out of the room and are quickly put into different clothes. I can't breath as they put me onto a small metal plate and I am frozen. Slowly I move upward and into the arena. This arena is not really an arena though. Looking around I see that there's a small island ahead of us, with trees and a lot of other things, but as I look down into the water I see creatures floating around beneath us. No, this is no arena...this is hell.

**Hm, what do you think? Like it? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D Poor Acacia and Ethan! I keep putting Ace through a lot of things and now Alwin is still without his wife. What will happen now that they are back in the arena? Will the rebellion continue? :D **

**(New Updating Info: Sunday, Tuesday, Friday -Bella Cullen: A Happily Ever After? & Acacia Lily Yarrow Coin: Jabberjay Monday, Thursday, Saturday -Bella Swan: Can It Be Love?, Can Love Last?, & Effie & Haymitch: True Love?. Sorry, its just becoming too much updating every day and I want to make sure that I keep writing the best chapters possible. Thanks! :D )**


	3. Chapter 3: I Need You

**Hey everyone! A small note: If you don't like the story I understand, but please don't bash it. Yesterday I got two anonymous reviews that were extremely rude and I hate when that happens. My stories are not for everyone and they are fun for me to write, I understand that not everyone will like them, but that doesn't mean to be rude about it. So if you want to tell me that you don't like a story you are welcome to, but in a polite way. When people are polite about it I understand where they are coming from and I appreciate their feedback. If you have something rude to say, please don't say it. Thank you for all of the support from everyone reading the Acacia Lily Yarrow stories. **

**Thank you and enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Acacia POV:

My eyes stay on the water as I hear a small splash, Ethan is in the water and he's swimming towards the small piece of land. Taking a deep breath I jump into the water and swim as quickly as I can, but after I hit the water I remember one thing-I can't swim. I start to panic, but my feet touch the sandy ground so I start to walk towards the island. After a few minutes I reach the island and see Alwin sitting on the sand, staring out at the water. We both know that there is nothing that we can do and that most likely we will be dead in a few days. Taking deep breaths I put my head in my hands and feel Ethan's arm wrap around me. For some reason I don't pull away from him, but a few minutes later we both stand up to look around the island. We stay together and find a small cornucopia, it has a small amount of supplies. One backpack with some food and water in it, with a few extra packages around it. Taking a deep breath I pick up a knife, bow and arrows and the backpack. After being in the arena two times it seems like I'd be used to this, but I'm not and this is not like the other two arenas. No, with the other two I had a chance of leaving alive, This arena is where I've been sent to die and they will watch me die...slowly.

"Aca? You okay?" I hear Ethan's voice and realize that I've sunken to the ground. My head is in my hands and I must look like I'm going insane. Thinking of Alwin and my family brought me to my knees. Taking a deep, but shaky breath, I nod my head and stand up. "What should we do? I mean...you've been in the arena twice."

I stare at him with a hard look. "But I knew halfway what I was up against. Tributes and mutations, but here...I have no idea what we are up against. For all that I know dead tributes are going to come out of no where and I'll have to kill them. Don't you understand that this is all unknown to me too?"

Taking a deep breath I turn away from him and walk onto the bare land. For as far as I can see, there is nothing. What are they going to do to me-to us? Are we going to be begging for death? Maybe we will kill each other or ourselves. I know that any of those three things would please them. Ethan comes up beside me and takes my hand. When I try to pull my hand out of his, he grips it harder.

"We are in this together. Aca...never forget that." He whispers this and I can see a small glint of fear in his eyes. But I nod my head and we take a step forward. "Some how...some way we will get out of here. I promise you that."

That's the last thing that I hear before I fall face forward into the sand, pain takes over my body and I have no control over my body. Ethan is talking to me, but I can't hear him. My eyes are focused on Alwin, my Alwin...dead and cold. His lips are blue and will never move again. It's my fault! Alwin's death is all my fault! My whole body is shaking and I don't know what's happening. But seconds later I feel Ethan fall down beside me, I can feel his hand reach for mine and I take his.

"Alwin...you...you...can't...be..." Tears are falling down my face and I know that I'm loosing it, but I don't care. If Alwin is dead, why should I care anymore? "I...I...love...him..."

"Alyssa..." Ethan's voice breaks me out of the trance for a second. Wait...a trance? "Aly...why?"

I go right back to shaking and I can't hear him anymore. The pain is unbearable and I start to cry again. Everything inside of me is screaming for the pain to stop and I know what I have to do to stop the pain. But...I can't. A part of me still knows that the Capital is watching me-us and they want us to be begging for death. Now that is one satisfaction that I will never give to them.

Every few minutes I break out of the trance, but go right back in a few seconds after. I feel the change in Ethan when it happens to him too, but right when I go back in, he goes back out of it. Maybe this is another way to break the two of us. We have to watch the other one in horrible pain, maybe...maybe they are waiting for one of us to let the other one out of that pain. But I could never kill Ethan...never...

Alwin POV:

I'm glaring at Odysseus, he can't be serious! They brought back this other girl, but not Ace? Really? What was he thinking when he did this? Anger is coursing through me and I want to punch him again. Silently cursing him I turn and punch the wall. The pain that erupts through my left hand is excruciating, but I welcome the pain. Within seconds someone is fixing my hand, but I'm thinking about Acacia. She's in the arena right now, I saw it all. Right after they showed her fall to the ground, they cut the TV power. When the screen went black I knew that they were going to try and hide it from me, because I would only be more angry at them. Odysseus better come up with another plan or I'll make my own.

"Alwin...Coin..." The voice is familiar to me and I turn to the sound of it. I am shocked to hear the voice and I can't believe it. "Haven't you grown up?"

"Mr. Yarrow? Is that really you?" Quickly I push away from the bed after the nurse leaves me. She might have said something about staying down for a few minutes, but I really don't know or care. "No...it can't really be you. There's no way that you can really be here."

But I know him and I know that the man laying in that bed is him. "Alwin, you have become a fine young man. I see that my daughter finally realized that you are the perfect choice for her and that you were always...fond of her. You and her family keep her going. When she slept at night...I heard her mumbling about all of you and I heard her begging for you to stay alive for her. She is strong, but its because of all of you. As long as all of you are alive, she has something worth fighting for."

"Can't you talk to Odysseus? Please?" He stares at me as I plea with him. Right now I feel like the weakest person in Panem. The woman that I love is stuck in a arena, with a guy who's always liked her. "Odysseus might listen to you! We need Ace back!"

"We all know that we need Aca, but we have to be careful. They have put her in the arena, I know that you saw it and I'm not going to lie to you about it." Mr. Yarrow sits up and stares me right in the eyes. "Now that she's in the arena, she is going to be harder to get. If we mess up...if something were to go wrong...if they found out what we are trying to do...they could blow them up in a second."

My head is between my hands and I start to pull at my hair. "What should we do? Is there anything that we can do for her?"

"Yes, there are a few things that you can do for her. One, don't do anything stupid. We could easily get her and Ethan killed." He shakes his head a little. "Two, keep the family alive. If anything happens to any of them...she will always blame herself. And three...stay alive."

My eyes stay on him as I think about what he just said. I can see the hope and pain in his eyes. The only question that I have for myself is, can I do this? Looking down for a minute I try to think everything through and all that I know is that I need her.

Mr. Yarrow makes me look back up at him, our eyes are locked as he nods his head. "Listen to me. I know how hard this is for you-I've been putting up with this for how many years? You have to hold onto hope and believe in something or else..you will loose everything. Alwin...I had my daughter back for a short time and I just lost her again. Please don't do something that makes me loose her forever."

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! :D What do you think? **


	4. Chapter 4: Breaking

**Hey! Woohoo! Like it so far? I hope that you do, because this story means a lot to me-just like all of my other stories do. Thank you for reading, reviewing and everything else. I listened to Welcome To My Nightmare-Alice Cooper and All About Us-The Veronica's. Just thought that I'd put that! :D Okay, again I hope that everyone likes this chapter and that all of you like the story so far. Hm...there are a few people who I haven't brought up in a while and one of them pop up in this chapter! :D**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~* **

Acacia POV:

The pains stopped and I start to pull myself away from the place that I've been for I don't know how long. I hear Ethan grunting as he follows my lead. When I get by the water I totally collapse and try to breath. One thing that I'll never be able to un-see is my family dead. Laying here I try to push the image out of my mind, but its not working. My body is still shaking, but I know that I have to push past this. Slowly I start to sit up and look down at Ethan, he is still shaking and I know that if he looses it so will I. Now I know why they wanted to keep Ethan, because they know that if they break one of us that the other one will break shortly after. With there being only two of us, it will take less time and we only have each other to lean on. Ethan is already falling apart and I need to pull him out of this. Thinking about it for a second I try and talk him into sitting up.

"Ethan? Come on, sit up." I stare at him as he continues to shake and I feel the annoyance coursing through me. After everything that has happened, now I have to keep Ethan sane? Shouldn't this be the other way around. "GET UP! You can do it! Just remember that nothing you saw is real and that I need you to stay strong! We need to work together and stay strong!"

"Aly..." He whimpers and I know that he's thinking about Alyssa. I stare at him and see that he's shaking a little less. "Long brown hair...light blue eyes...cold...dead...blue lips..."

"She's alive! Ethan, she's alive!" I'm holding onto the hope that she is, she has to be. Alyssa is one of the strongest people that I know and she's my best friend. My hand touches his and he looks up at me. Slowly he starts to sit up and before I know it his arms are wrapped around me. His face is pushing into my shoulder and the tears are falling down his face."Calm down. Everything will be okay...it'll be okay..."

Of course I don't know what will happen, but what am I supposed to say to him? Am I supposed to tell him the truth? That I'm terrified and that I want to start crying like he is? No, I have to stay strong for both of us. We stay like this for a few minutes and when we break apart he nods his head a little bit. Slowly I open my backpack and pull out a water bottle, Ethan does the same. Quickly we eat and drink, not knowing when the next surprise from the Capital will come. I sit here and play with the ring on my finger, Alwin's ring. Staring down at the ring I'm hoping that it will give me some sort of strength to carry on.

"Aca..." I turn to look at Ethan, my mouth is open. But when my eyes land on what he's looking at I'm quickly getting to my feet. No...it...it can't be. Walking toward us are Alwin and Alyssa. The two of them are holding hands and I feel my heart breaking. "Aca..."

"It's not real...its not real." The words come from my lips, the words are full of confidence. My voice doesn't shake, like it would have if I wouldn't of had enough control over it. Now the Capital is really going to play dirty, but I have the ring...his ring. "My ring..."

Ethan's fingers are clenching onto mine and I feel the circulation being cut off. "No...this can't be happening. This has to be...some sort of...nightmare..."

"Our lives are a nightmare." I whisper as the two of them stop in front of us. Both of them are smiling wide smiles and I want to throw something. Don't be upset, don't let this get to you. This is not real, Acacia! "Alwin...we have to remember that this is not-"

"This is real. You two better start believing it." Alyssa's dark brown hair goes just past her shoulders and its perfectly straight. Her blue eyes are icy cold and I feel myself slipping, slowly. "Haven't you two ever thought that we could do better? Perhaps that you two being out of our lives is the best thing for us?"

Alwin just smiles and stands there, its killing me. I need to hear his voice, just one small word. He just smiles at me though, as though this whole thing is amusing him. The two of them turn towards each other and I watch as their lips meet. Ethan and I both scream, but I know that this isn't real-it can't be real. But why have I fallen to my knees if its not real? Why am I stuck in this nightmare? Oh, right...because they want to make my last few days a living hell and so far they are doing a wonderful job. If they are doing this already I don't even want to know what they have planned for us later on. Am I going to be begging for death? No, I can't...I won't allow them to have that satisfaction.

Alwin POV:

I sit here staring at Beth as she leads me outside. We have decided-by we I mean that Odysseus and Hector have decided that we are going to focus on getting Acacia out of the arena. But to do this I am going to have to take a trip to the Capital, but I won't be in any danger. They have promised me Ace back and I will do anything to get her back or die trying. Sitting here I watch as Beth looks up from the map that Sophie's drawn. Sophie hasn't been here for long, but I've had a few conversations with her. Her stories chill me to the bone, how she would remember stuff from when she was a child, but that her 'parents' would tell her that the girl from her childhood memories was dead. Of course when Beth went into the Hunger Games something hit Sophie and she started to question her parents. They kept her away from all of the broadcast and away from Beth, so that she wouldn't realize that the girl from the memories was still alive.

"Alwin..." The voice comes from behind me and I turn to see a pair of light blue eyes staring at me. Her light brown hair is above her shoulders now and she has it pulled back in a messy ponytail. I walk over to her and hug her. "Ouch..."

"What? Are you okay?" I pull away from her and she winces. Just by looking at her I can't tell that she's hurt, but she looks like she's in pain. "Aly? What happened?"

"I'm a little hurt, you didn't come see me. But I forgive you." She says with a small smile as she lowers herself onto one of the benches. Knowing her so well I can tell that she is trying to hide the pain now and she rolls her eyes. "While all of you were in the arena, we were training and getting ready for the rebellion. They put some of the rebels on the ground to help out-just in case something went wrong, but when they blew up the arena..."

She cuts off, but I know what happened. They were all blown back and injured-or at least she was. I stare at her and shake my head. Even when we were kids I knew that Alyssa was strong, I just never knew how strong and her being on the ground during that shows how strong she is. Alyssa shakes her head a little and looks down with a sigh. Carefully I sit down next to her, careful not to touch her.

"Are you okay?" I ask her and she nods her head a little. Beth walks over and smiles at her. "You sure?"

Alyssa rolls her eyes. "Of course I'm fine. I'm one of the only ones who...are still alive. Ten people in our unit on the ground died, while four were injured."

"You are extremely strong." Beth's voice rings into the conversation and the two of us look up at her. I'm shocked when I hear Beth talk at points, she comes in at parts that I don't expect her to, just like when she entered our alliance in the arena. "That is something you showed when you were helping to get us out."

"Beth...right?" Alyssa asks and Beth nods. I can't help but smile, because I can see these two becoming friends. "Nice to meet you. Watch him for me, will you? I need to get back to recovery before...they realize that I'm gone."

I stare at her in shock. "What? You left before you were allowed to?"

Alyssa rolls her eyes and heads back towards the doors. But she stops with her hand on the door and turns back to me. "Don't watch the coverage from the arena-"

"They told me that it was cut off by the Capital." I say and her eyes go wide in fear as she rushes out the door as quickly as she can. So they are lying to me and they think that they can get away with it? "Fine...I'll play the game your way..." 

**Woohoo! What did you think? :D Like it? Thanks for reading and please leave a review! :D **


	5. Chapter 5: Another Rescue Mission Begins

**Hey everyone! Okay the last one is officially a few chapters in and I hope that everyone likes it so far. Here is the new chapter. Thank you for reading and everything else. :D**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~* **

Acacia POV:

The coldness is making my body shake and I try to block out the images that keep creeping back into my mind. I stare at the eyes that are locked with mine. Ethan is having a hard time remembering that the images of Alyssa and Alwin weren't real. Silently I keep telling myself that it wasn't real and that everything's okay-that everything will be okay. Right now I feel like I'm alone in this whole mess and that Ethan is slipping farther and farther away from me. Carefully I push my back up against the tree and look around us, but my eyes catch something. A small movement has me on my feet and I see a little girl come walking towards us. She looks like she might be ten, her long black hair is whipping around her and I see that her eyes are a dark green when she's standing in front of me. When she stops in front of me I stare at her and I see that she has an innocence in her eyes.

"Hello..." I say and she starts to whimper. What are they doing? Why is this little girl here? "Do you know what's going on? What's your name?"

She whips her eyes and this is when I notice that she's been crying. "Ella and please don't hurt me! Please! I don't want to die! I'll do anything-"

"Hello, Acacia! You have a new challenge!" The voice is one that I know, but its not the one that I'm used to hearing in the arena. It's the President's voice. "They have taken my daughter so...you will pay for that. Ella, is from District Seven and she has three younger sisters. If you kill her...you can live until a certain surprise comes your way."

"Kill...her? But..." I stare down at the little girl and shake my head as more tears fall down her cheeks. There's no way that I can do that. Everyone knows that I can't kill this girl and I shake my head. "No! I'm not going to kill her! You are sick and demented!"

"Have it your way then..." He says and I look over to the side. A tall woman is walking toward us and I grab Ella's arm, pulling her behind me. "Good luck to all three of you!"

Ethan stands up and I hear Ella start to scream. I turn around and see that he is pulling out a knife, but I stop him. Our eyes lock and I shake my head at him, but he looks like he doesn't care anymore. We stare at each other as the woman gets closer and when she is right in front of us Ethan throws the knife at her instead. She slumps to the ground and he pulls out another knife. There's no way in hell that I'm going to let him kill this little girl. But someone else appears beside the girl, someone that I know and tears start to fall down my cheeks.

"Ethan...you can't do this. No..." I stare at him and he shakes his head at me. He's starting to loose it and I can see that just by looking in his eyes. "Don't...please! For me?"

"Aca, we need to stay alive and for us to stay alive...she has to die. You know how this goes and you've killed people to live before." He says this in an angry voice and I stare at him. Shaking my head I see that I just imagined that Lillian was there. "Don't you want to live? Don't you want to see everyone that you love again? Alwin?"

Taking a deep breath I nod my head and he stares at me with hard eyes. "But even if she dies, they are going to make this place a living hell for us. Do we really gain anything?"

"They might give us a break!" He yells at me and I want to slap him right now. Ethan needs to get a grip and realize what he's saying, what he's saying should be done. "Acacia, you aren't strong enough to do this, but I am."

"That's not being strong." I tell him in a hard voice and his eyes narrow as he stares at me. "That's being weak. If you were strong you would fight against what they are telling us to do."

He gestures around us. "Does it look like we are in District Thirteen right now? Where do you think we are? We need to play their game so that we can live!"

"We don't have to kill an innocent little girl!" I yell back at him and I feel Ella's hand reach out to touch me. "Get a grip, Ethan! GET A GRIP!"

I slap him and he stares at me, shocked. We stare at each other and I see him stare at Ella for a second. Right now I don't know what he's planning on doing, but I'm going to protect the little girl until the end.

Alwin POV:

Beth's leading me outside, into the darkness and I know how risky this is. We could get killed doing this, but what else can I do? Odysseus is no help to me right now and I need to do something for her. Ashlee and Hector are beside me as we walk to the waiting hovercraft. Everyone knows that this is risky, but we all agreed that the risk was worth it. The hovercraft has a few others on it and they are going to get Acacia back. I follow the others onto the hovercraft and we go into one of the bathrooms, none of us are supposed to be on this mission.

"Everyone's on!" The voice makes me jump, no she can't be on here. She can't be going on the rescue mission, she is still injured, but I know that its Alyssa's voice. "Shut the doors and get ready to leave!"

"Alyssa, you really are the best leader here." I hear Odysseus say and right now I want to kill him. "Are you sure that you can come though?"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Alyssa says this in a confident voice and I hear footsteps coming toward us. "I'll talk to you in a few minutes, Odysseus."

Our door is locked, but Beth unlocks it and I stare at her as though she's lost her mind. Alyssa rushes into the bathroom and shuts the door. She sinks to the ground and I see that she's still weak. There is no way that she should be on this mission and everyone knows it, but it seems like she was our ticket on. I shake my head as Beth sits down beside Alyssa and whispers something to her.

"You did good...you did good..." Beth whispers to her and Alyssa starts to cry. "We'll get them back, don't worry. This time we will get them back."

Alyssa shakes her head. "How can I still love him?"

"Because he has a good side to him." The words are out of my lips before I can stop myself and everyone's staring at me. "Ethan...he does love you."

"Which is why he is obviously still fawning over your wife." She mumbles and I stare at her. I know that she's hurting and I want to help her, but I don't know how. "For some reason I...need him..."

I look over at Beth who is now in Hector's arms. He looks protective of her and she looks protective of him, for some reason I see them getting together. Beth breaks away from him and stands in the center of the room, she takes a deep breath.

"Everyone knows the plan. The force field will be destroyed and we will be dropped into the arena." Beth says this in a shaky voice. "We will have five seconds to get them and to get out. Nothing can go wrong..."

Everything is at risk and I know that if anything happens to anyone that's with me, I will never be able to forgive myself. Beth nods her head and looks down. We will be there in two days and that is when the plan will be set in motion. Odysseus will find out that we are here after they blow up the force field.

**Woohoo! What do you think? This was a harder chapter to write and I'm trying to make it different from the books. Hopefully you liked it! Thank you for reading and please leave a review. **


	6. Chapter 6: What I'm Capable Of

**Woohoo! Hey everyone! This chapter was actually easy for me to write and I am happy with the way that it turned out. Hm...a little weird, no second thoughts about anything and I'm happy with it. Hopefully all of you like it! :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else! :D  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~ ***

Acacia POV:

Ethan's staring at me and I glare at him. How long have I been up for? I honestly don't know, but I feel like I'm about to pass out from exhaustion. The little girl-Ella is next to me and she is shaking. My thoughts are becoming less and less logical. Slowly my eyes start to close, but I stop them and snap them open. A hand touches my back and I look back to see Ella, she looks stronger then either of us do. Her eyes are clear and I shake my head a little. How can this place get any worse? Do they really think that its necessary to throw me back in here and make it even more of a living hell? It's no secret that I never really left the arena and its not like I ever will. When my head hits the sand I black out. Nothing can reach me here, in the darkness. This place is a much safer place to be, but I know what might be happening out there and I can't be like this...not right now.

"_You idiot! How can you be so weak?" Someone's yelling at me-wait, I know that voice...its Ethan's. Looking up I see a figure standing over me and I sit up. The tears that have managed to escape slide down my cheeks. "I thought that you were supposed to be so strong? Aren't you someone who's supposed to be unbreakable?"_

"You don't understand! How could you possibly understand anything about this?" I yell back as I stand up. Slowly I sway and almost fall back down, but I manage to stay up. The figure in front of me is glaring at me, anger is clear in his eyes. "Don't ever call me weak, that is one of the last things that I am! Someone who is weak wouldn't have made it through the Hunger Games and still have their mind!"

_He stares at me for a minute and starts to laugh. The laugh shakes my whole body and I see the coldness in his eyes. "Do you really think that you still have your mind? Really, Acacia? Poor girl, you are in much worse shape then I originally thought you were. What will you do when everyone that you love is gone? Everyone is going to die and it will be because of you. Alwin has chosen Alyssa over you...accept it." _

"_No...NO!" I yell at him and he starts to laugh again. His laughter makes me want to throw something. Without a second thought I lunge at him and he stops me. My wrists are captured by his hands and I can't pull away from him. Anger is coursing through me and he looks amused by this whole thing. "You are sick...just like them..." _

"_Well, you better start liking sick guys...because this is the only future that you can have." I stare into his dark eyes and I start to fight against his grip on me. "Come on, Aca...you have always been mine."_

I look up at him and see that he is amused by this whole thing. Everything is a game to him. "Alwin is mine and I'm Alwin's. I will NEVER be yours."

"We'll see about that." He says and he laughs, before pressing his lips against mine. I fight against him and finally break free. Turning back around I stare at him, ready to lash out at him. "You'll learn to like it..."

My eyes flash open and I jump up. Someone's hand reaches out to me and I punch the person, without looking. Once I'm on my feet and holding a knife in my hand, I look back and see a confused Ethan staring at me. His eye is already starting to puff up and I might feel guilty, if he hadn't of tried to kill Ella-

"Where's Ella?" I ask him and he looks around. A few seconds later I have his back against a tree and the blade is against his neck. Our eyes are locked and I feel myself tensing, ready for the worst. "Ethan...tell me where she is or do you want me to kill you?"

His eyes are wide as he stares at me and I can see a flicker of fear in his eyes. "Aca, you wouldn't kill me. We're friends! You can't kill me..."

"Do you really think right now's the best time to test that theory? You don't know what I'm capable of and I don't think that you want to test me, when I have a knife to your throat." I hiss at him and I notice that our noses are almost touching. "I'm going to ask you one last time and I better get an answer. Where is she?"

"She's..." He cuts off and his eyes are wide as he looks behind me. "Acacia...don't turn around..."

Alwin POV:

Beth's sitting right next to me and we listen to Alyssa giving orders. Odysseus talks every few seconds and I hear him say something about collecting data from the arena. The way that he says this makes me think that we might not try to get in the arena right now. If that's the case, I will leave this bathroom and take over myself. After all, I am the Mockingjay's replacement. As I start to move around I hear a light knock on the door.

"Is someone in there?" Odysseus's voice comes through the door and everyone starts to panic. None of us are supposed to be on the mission and we could easily be sent back right now. "Hello?"

Right at that second we hear a crash and Odysseus cuss. Before I can think anything through I've pulled the door out of my way and am running out of the room. Alyssa is laying on the floor, she is still and looks like she might not be breathing. Odysseus begins to bark out orders, but when his eyes rest on me I see the anger in them. Beth rushes up to my side and this makes Odysseus roll his eyes. Everyone seems shocked when I follow the two people carrying Alyssa off, but Odysseus stops me. When I turn around our eyes meet, both of our gazes are cold and neither one of us looks happy. Slowly I shake my head, but he just continues to glare at me.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" He finally yells at me, good because I'm ready to fight. Odysseus's face is turning redder by the second and he looks around us at everyone else. "Are you trying to make sure that we have no hope at all? You are supposed to be logical, boy!"

I glare at him and laugh, a hard laugh. "Odysseus, I thought that we were supposed to be honest with each other? What happened to that? You lied to me and kept information from me. Now...if you want me to do anything for you, you better tell me what's going on with my wife!"

"Fine, do you really want to know what's happening with my niece? You want to know if she's hurt, if she's slowly loosing her mind and if she's questioning your love for her?" He yells back at me and I stare at him confused. "They are doing everything possible to break her and slowly she is breaking. Acacia is strong, but her body and mind can only take so much. We came on this mission to collect data about the arena, to see if there was a way that we could get the two of them-well three of them out, without hurting them."

"Have you found a way?" I demand and he glares at me. Okay, I have to calm down if I want answers. "Did you find a way to get them out?"

"This arena...its different from the others. We don't know if we can break through the force field like last time or where the arena is." He stares at me and I take deep breaths to try to keep myself calm. "They are holding on and she is doing okay. Well...last that I knew Acacia passed out. But they are watching her-wait! Alwin, don't go in there-"

I run into a room with a huge TV screen and there are five people sitting in front of the screen, just watching it. The first thing that I see is Ace being pushed against a tree, a knife is being held up by her throat. A scream escapes from her lips and I am pulled from the room. But I know what I saw and I know that I have to do something. My thoughts are racing as I'm pulled off to a different room, with Ace's scream echoing in my mind. Right now...all that I want to do is be there with her and to take care of her. To show the Capital what I'm capable of.

**What do you think? :D Okay, a smiley face probably shouldn't be there after this chapter, but I put it there so... :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! Like the story so far? **


	7. Chapter 7: Is Death Coming?

**Hey everyone! Okay this chapter is longer than the others, so ENJOY! :D I started out this chapter with Alyssa's POV for some reason and I really liked her POV, let me know what you think about it. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Onto the next chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

Alyssa POV:

_Every part of my body is aching and the worst part is that I knew that this was going to happen. I'm in some sort of haze, asleep...but not fully. My body has been yelling at me since I agreed to do this whole thing, but I didn't tell Beth this or else she wouldn't have let me do it. I'll do anything to get them back though, anything. Aca is our only hope and I know it, she has to come back...no matter what we loose. There's some sort of beeping sound and I count the beeps, its the only thing that I can focus on. Right now I know that I can't focus on...him, because if it weren't for him I'd still be okay-or at least my heart would be. Could death be close for me? They told me that I almost died on the first rescue mission and that I was extremely lucky. Will it be the same way this time around? _

_ Someone's hand is brushing the hair out of my face and I know that touch. It's Alwin, but someone's in here with him. There are a few other voices and I try to focus on them. Listening to them makes it easier for me to hold onto something. He's saying something about the arena, about the fact that they can't break through it without killing the three of them. Yes, the three of them...the little girl named Ella, she has to still be alive. _

"_Aly, you don't have to be afraid of me." His voice is gentle and I smile up at him. I reach out to him and he helps me up off the ground. Slowly I look into his eyes and my smile widens. "Don't be afraid...I'll always protect you and I love you. Do you love me?"_

My heartbeat quickens and I look into his eyes "Yes...but I thought that you had feelings for Aca? Do you really mean it? That you love me?"

"With all of my heart. Aly...I've always loved you." I shut my eyes and listen to his sweet voice. His lips capture mine and I melt into him. Yes, this is all that I've ever wanted and its finally happening. "You are the only person that I want to be with. The only person that I've ever loved."

My eyes flicker open and I feel the tears pouring down my face. I let out a deep breath as I think about him, Ethan, obviously I wasn't the only girl that he has ever loved. Why was I so stupid and why did I let him in? He led me on until Acacia came home, until it wasn't to his advantage. I don't understand why he did it, why did he have to hurt me? The tears continue to fall down my cheeks and I look to the left of me. Alwin stands up and walks over to me, his hand finds mine and I smile a little at him.

He looks down at me and I can see the concern in his eyes. "Why did you do that, Aly? You risked your own life for us to get to come along...why?"

"We need Acacia back and..." I look up at him as the tears start to roll down my cheeks again. Shutting my eyes I try to hold the tears in, but its not working. "You don't have to loose her or be in pain. I don't want to see you in pain..."

"Alyssa..." He squeezes my hand and I open my eyes to look at him. "I don't want to loose my friend. You can't die on me, do you understand? I'd be in pain if I lost you."

A small smile creeps onto my lips and I nod my head. The tears start to go away as I think about the people who care about me. Beth, Ashlee, all of the other victors, Alwin and Acacia's family. Someone does care about me and they won't lie to me or hurt me. I have people to rely on.

Acacia POV:

Ethan is shaking his head at me as I start to look behind me. I stop breathing when I see Lillian on her knees and Ella's across from her. The two of them are shaking and look like they don't know what to do. Without a second thought I let go of Ethan and run towards the water, but I stop when one of the fish-with large razor sharp teeth jumps up out of the water at me. Lillian and Ella are stranded on the two plates out in the water, they can't leave them without giving themselves up to their death. Slowly I sink to the ground and start to sob. Why is this happening to me? This little girl that I never knew and an avox who's risked her life for me are going to die...because of me.

"Aca, come on. You have to get up." I shake my head and slap at his hands, but he pulls me up. He makes me look him in the eyes and he looks worried. My eyes must tell him what I'm thinking and we both know. "Don't give up! Do you understand me?"

I shake my head a little and he shakes me. "Stop it! You don't understand, Ethan! How could you understand? All of this has always just been one big game to you! People died for me in my first Hunger Games, people died for me in my second Hunger Games, people died for me in District Thirteen, people were tortured because of me! Do you notice a pattern?"

"Stop thinking like that! You can't blame yourself!" He yells right back at me and I feel like punching him right now. Everything that he's done to me and to Alyssa. "They are trying to break you! Don't let them break you! Come on, Acacia! You're stronger then-"

My fist collides with his jaw and he falls back, releasing me. I stare at him and feel more anger rushing up inside of me. Ethan stares at me in shock and I want to do it again, but now he's staying a safe distance away from me. How can someone who I considered a friend be acting this cold about the fact that two people are about to die for me?

"What the hell was that for?" He yells at me and I glare at him. I have to stop myself from running at him and punching him again. "Aca?"

I glare at him and take a deep breath. "First you kiss me and tell me how much I mean to you, then when I'm in the Hunger Games you go mess around with my BEST FRIEND! Don't you understand how much you've hurt her? Of course you don't stop there! NO! You have to proceed to try and make it seem like Alwin is not the person that I love! How dare you do all of those things and stand here in front of me...acting as though all of it means NOTHING!" 

"I never said that." He says and I shake my head. "Aca...we need to stick together. Please..." 

"Did you even care about her?" I ask him and the tears pour out of my eyes. This arena is making me crack and I can feel myself starting to fall apart. "Do you care about her at all?"

"Of course I do!" He says and he plops down on the ground. My body gives way and I fall to the ground. Our eyes lock and I see the tears about ready to fall from his eyes. "I always have...but I was stupid, okay? Alyssa deserves better though...she shouldn't accept me as a friend even..."

I stare at him and nod my head. "She does deserve better..."

My eyes flicker back out to the plates and I want to scream. If they die...I'll never be able to forgive myself-I'll always blame myself for their deaths. They were brought here to break me and its working. After a few days of watching them starve and after a while...die, I'll be broken beyond repair. Congratulations to them, they are winning.

Alwin POV:

Odysseus is pacing around in front of me and he's shaking his head every few minutes. I stare at him, wondering what we are going to do now. He just shakes his head a few times and I wish that there was a way that I could just save her already. Waiting is something that I can't stand to do when it comes to her...I need to save her and now.

"So...got any new ideas?" I ask him and he nods his head a little. "What are you planning?"

Odysseus stops in front of me and I see that his eyes are full of worry. "We are going to try and blow up the arena-again, that's our only chance of saving them. Right now...we have to head back to District Thirteen and we are going to set out in a few days to save them. Alyssa can't come though..."

"Is she going to be okay?" Our eyes lock and I want to fall down to the ground. "You don't know if she's going to make it, do you?"

"No, we are doing everything that we can to keep her alive. Alyssa is fighting though and when you are around her...she seems to be a little better." Odysseus looks up into my eyes and I nod a little. "She is one of the best people for the rebellion and we have to make sure that she lives. Everyone responds to her really well and that girl can fight. We aren't going to give up on her, no matter what she seems to think...people love her and we need her."

I nod my head a little as I walk out of the room and I sneak into the TV room. Everyone's watching as Acacia yells at Ethan, her voice is full of anger. But when she gestures out to the water I stop breathing for a minute. A little girl and Lillian are on two of the plates in the water. Lillian is sitting on her plate and looking down at the water, her eyes are wide and I know that its only a matter of time before they are going to be forced off of the plates.

"They are going to die because of me!" Acacia yells at him and she gestures out towards the water. "How many more people will have to die because of me?"

Ethan shakes his head and she rolls her eyes. "No one died because of you...they died because of the idiots who are in charge of all of us."

I watch as Acacia flings herself towards the water and I know what she's thinking...that she has to save them. My heart is beating fast as the creatures in the water start lunging at her. She starts to cry out in pain and Ethan pulls her back onto the sand. Her legs are red and I see the blood gushing out. Ethan looks down and I see the fear in his eyes as he tries to think of something to do for her.

"Why did you do that?" He yells at her and I see Acacia flip him off. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

But before I can see what happens next, I'm being dragged out of the room and forced back into Alyssa's room. Her eyes flash open and she stares at me in shock. I look at her face and see that she's still pale.

"What..." She stops and takes a shallow breath. "Happened?"

**Okay, horrible place to cut off I know...but I had to. Sorry! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! What do you think so far? **


	8. Chapter 8: The Panic Begins

**Hey everyone! New chapter right here! I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like the new chapter. :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else! Will Acacia get out of the arena or will something go horribly wrong?  
Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

Acacia POV:

I gasp as I look down at my now bandaged leg. The pain is excruciating and I close my eyes a little, trying to block out the pain. Ethan's sitting next to me and I feel his hand wrap around mine. For a few seconds I just lay here, but my eyes snap open and I push away from him. He stares at me, shocked and confused. Ella, where is she? My eyes roam around and I don't see any sign of her. As my eyes land on the two plates again it hits me again. Laying back the pain hits me again and I silently cuss at myself for being so stupid. Deep breaths, deep breaths...deep breaths hurt. Each breath hurts my sides and stomach. Gritting my teeth I pull up my shirt and see that my side is bandaged. My eyes flicker back up to Ethan and I realize that he must have done this. With a small movement he's sitting right by my head and I feel the cool water sliding down my throat. Quickly he feeds me some of the food, but its no use...everything comes right back up and he stares at me, with a worried expression on his face.

"Aca? Acacia! Look at me." His voice is on the verge of panic and I can't focus on anything. I feel myself slipping away and I can't stop myself. My hand's are being held by his and I feel him trying to shake me. "Come on, Aca! Be strong and stay here with me."

"Alwin..." I whisper and the darkness has almost won. My eyes are locked with Ethan's, they aren't where I want to be and I know where I have to go to be with Alwin. "Ethan, I'm sorry."

_I'm back in District Thirteen, back home. My eyes wander around me and I keep walking. Dula...I have to find her and my family. But where are they? Somethings pulling me forward and I don't know why. The only sound that I can hear right now is the clicking of my shoes against the hard floor. Slowly I walk into a large room and my knees almost buckle. Slowly I walk farther into the room and I take in the scene before me. Everyone that I love...everyone of District Thirteen is dead...because of me. A cry escapes from my lips as I drop down to my knees beside Alwin and I grab his hand. No, this can't be happening...it just can't be._

"_Aca." The voice comes from behind me and I turn to see Ethan standing in the middle of the room. His eyes lock with mine and I shake my head at him. I'm not going to leave them now that I've finally found them. "They allowed us to come back and see what happened to everyone. We have to go or else we'll end up just like them."  
_

_Staring at him I feel anger wash through me and I want to punch him. "If you want to go live with the killers, fine, but I'm not going. Ethan, I never had the intention of living after seeing them like this. Don't you understand that? Just leave me alone and let me join them."_

"No! I won't allow you to just give up." His eyes are on fire and I roll my eyes at him. Ethan is not someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with, no I want to be with Alwin. "Come on, Aca! Alwin would want you to keep living and you know it!"

"Don't talk about Alwin!" I yell at him and Ethan just rolls his eyes at me. "Just leave and let me die...just like you let everyone else. Remember Alyssa?"

The pain that flickers across his face, in his eyes shocks me. "Alyssa...she would want me to go on and I'm not just going to give up. Why should you? Don't you have something to live for?"

"I can't live without them..." He glares at me and I shake my head. "Ethan..."

My eyes snap open and I look up at the sky. The grounds shaking and I see something above us. What's going on? Ethan's pulling me away and he doesn't stop until my backs against a tree.

"What's happening?" I ask him in a frantic voice. Ethan sits down next to me and shakes his head a little bit. "Tell me what's happening, please?"

Ethan looks into my eyes and nods his head. "Their trying to break the force field, which could kill us in the process. Before we got put in here...I heard the President talking to someone and they were saying that if they break through the force field that there's a slim chance that we would live."

My eyes flicker out towards the other two. Lillian and Ella will die if the force field is broken. I shake my head as the tears come and I wish that it wouldn't have to go this way.

Alwin POV:

Odysseus claims that the TV signal for the Hunger Games has gone completely out and that no one knows what's happening to them. He walks away from me and I shake my head as I head back towards Alyssa's room. Alyssa's eyes open, but she still looks weak and I'm afraid that she's going to die. I look at the person sitting next to her, its Beth. She looks nervous as she looks into my eyes and I know that somethings going on. Nodding my head I walk farther into the room and I shut the door behind me. The games are going to end today, right now. I can't handle the games anymore and I have to know what's going on.

"Okay, you two are going to tell me everything that you know." I say and Alyssa closes her eyes again. My eyes stay on her for a few seconds as I take her in, how pale she is and how the light is quickly fading from her eyes. "Beth, tell me what's going on...now."

"Another rescue mission has been launched, but it sounds more like a suicide mission." She stares at me as I walk over to a chair and sit down. Beth looks over at Alyssa for a second and a few seconds later her gaze returns to me. "They're trying to break the force field, but they don't know if they'll be able to. Even if they do, they could kill everyone." 

I stare at her in shock and I look over at Alyssa who is barley here right now. "How long until we know something? I knew that Odysseus was hiding something from me!"

"He only let two people go onto the mission...like us." Beth says and she looks down at Alyssa for a second. "Ashlee and Hector-"

"No! No! They did not go on the rescue mission!" I growl at her and I stop myself a minute later. Beth just stares at me, unaffected and she shakes her head a little. "Why could they go and not me? I don't understand why they are risking everyone's life like this."

"Alwin...the feed from the Games has been cut, but..." She shakes her head a little and I want to know what she's thinking. "They are getting minutely updates from the rescue mission."

Nodding my head I turn away from her and walk to the door. I turn back towards her one last time and she looks worried. My hand has a death grip on the door knob and I quickly turn it. Quickly I pull the door out of my way and I walk out into the hallway, right into Odysseus. He stares at me and shakes his head a little. Panic takes me over and Odysseus just shrugs a little.

**Okay I know a horrible place to leave off, but I had to! :D What did you think? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! The next chapter should be fun...will Acacia and the others make it out of the arena?**


	9. Chapter 9: Three Are Saved

**Hey everyone! I am a little ticked off at myself for this chapter and you'll see why when you read it. Let me know what you think, okay? :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Okay, I'll let you get right to the new chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

***~K.N.~***

Acacia POV:

I bet that the Gamemakers are laughing at the rebels attempts to break through the force field, because they still haven't intervened. My gaze drops back to Lillian and Ella, they both look weak and I don't know what to do now. Slowly I shut my eyes, I am weak and I know that I'm not going to last much longer in here. Something slaps me across the face and my eyes open wide. Ethan is sitting next to me, his eyes locked with mine and I feel the anger coursing through me. Without thinking about it I raise my hand and slap him back. He stares at me in shock and shakes his head. His cheek is turning red as mine aches on. Shaking my head I try to move away from him, but he stops me and I pull my hand out of his grasp. Alwin would never have slapped me.

"Aca, I was doing that to keep you up." He whispers and now I'm really confused. Ethan looks down at the ground and starts to play with the sand. "You don't understand...every time that you fall asleep you could never wake back up. I have to keep you awake-I have to keep you alive."

"Oh, so slapping me is helping me? Really, Ethan?" I say through gritted teeth and a second later there's a loud bag. My back hits the ground and I can't get up. "Ethan! What's going on?"

Someone grabs me and I'm pulled away. The sound of a gun being fired fills the air and I hear someone gasp. Just a few seconds later I'm being pulled into a hovercraft and I feel myself shaking. I'm loosing it and anyone can see that. All that I can do is hold on for as long as I can. No one can say that I'm not a fighter. Voices fill the air around me and my eyes start to close. I hear another bang and I feel the hovercraft shake. Where am I? Right now I can't focus hard enough to tell where I am, but I feel the the tubes being stuck into me. The sound of machines beeping surrounds me and I allow myself to settle into my pillow.

"_She's...dead." I hear the voices whisper, but I can't really focus on them. They are far away, but I know the voices. "Two of them are and the third one we are trying to track."_

"You do realize that she'll blame herself for their deaths? Why couldn't you have saved them?" The voice is angry and this one I can place. Ethan's voice is as clear as day to me and he sounds angry. "Who's the one that you aren't sure about? Mr. Yarrow?"

My dad takes a deep breath and I remember when he used to do this when I was a kid. He's probably running his fingers through his hair right now. "Ashlee and Ella are dead. We saw their bodies, but Ashlee gave herself up for Acacia. Lillian, has a chance of living. We rescued her..."

If I was awake right now I'd be screaming, but the haze keeps me in. Ashlee and Ella, two people who I wanted to save are dead. Ella, I didn't know her, but she was so young and I promised her. I feel even worse about Ashlee, she was my friend and she died for me.

"_Are you sure?" Ethan's voice is full of desperation. "Both of them...are you sure that they are dead?"_

My dad is quiet for a minute. "Yes." 

Beth POV:

My gaze stays on the TV screen and I can't believe what I just saw. I ignore the blaring sound of the alarm going off. They blew up the arena, but some how they saved one of the girls who were on the plates, the other one flew into the water and the only thing left of her is the blood floating around on the surface. A second later they cut to Acacia being grabbed by her father and Ashlee stepping in front of a bullet, going towards Acacia. I watch in horror as Ashlee falls to the ground, but it looks like she's still breathing. Her mouth is open and she's crying. Is she still alive?

The hovercraft leaves and she just lays there. I want to scream out for her, to scream at them for not saving her. She's laying on the ground defenseless and waiting for her death. My eyes stay wide as they cut away from Ashlee and to the President, who's saying that the rebels will pay for this. He turns around with a smile on his lips and shows us that Ashlee is behind him. Tubes are stuck into her and she is breathing. Oh shit, she's stuck there with them and the worst part is that they left her there to die.

"Beth." The voice comes from behind me and I turn to see Alwin walking into the room. He stares at me, his eyes are wide and the TV screen goes black. "What's going on? An...alarm went off a few seconds ago."

"They got her out of the arena...well them I should say." He stares at me in shock for a few minutes and a wide smile spreads across his lips. "Ethan, Acacia and Lillian have been rescued."

"Wait...only three were rescued. Ashlee and that other girl were in there too." He says and I nod my head a little. The tears are threatening to pour out from my eyes as he realizes what this means. "Are they both dead? How could Ashlee have died?"

I look up at him as a few of the tears escape from my eyes. "Ella was thrown off of the plate when the hovercraft appeared, she couldn't be saved. Lillian some how manged to not fall, which I still don't understand. But Ashlee..someone tried to kill Acacia and she took the bullet for her. Ashlee's alive though."

"How can she be alive?" He asks me and I explain to him what they showed on the TV just seconds ago. Alwin sits down and starts to pull at his hair. "Why do people have to die for this?"

"She's not dead and she can fight. Ashlee's strong and she told me that she would do anything to save Acacia." I tell him this and I see the sadness in his eyes. "The rebellion needs Acacia and Ashlee knew that. I guess that she thought that Aca's life is more important."

The words leave my lips, but I don't believe them. Ashlee is my friend and I'm afraid that she's going to die. We don't need anyone else to be close to death. Alyssa is still not doing good. They are trying everything, but nothing seems to be working.

Alyssa POV:

My eyes flicker open and I look around me. I'm still in the hospital and I know that I'm not getting out any time soon. They all know that I'm creeping closer to death, but no one knows why, except for me of course. Slowly I pull the syringe out from under my pillow. Slowly I run my fingers over it. No one knows about the man who was with me when the arena was blown up.

"_You'll die today." His voice whispers into my ear. I can feel his hot breath on my neck as I try to focus on what's going on with the rescue mission. "Do you have any last words?"_

A loud bang shakes the ground beneath us and I fall back. My whole body aches, but I look down and see the syringe pushed deep into my arm. Quickly I get up and take it out of me, we only have a few seconds to save them. My visions starting to get fuzzy and I feel like the worlds been turned onto its side.

_The man's laughter echoes around me as I walk on. "You are going to die and no one will know how to save you."_

Looking back to that moment I wish that I hadn't of fallen back on the man. But the last thing that the man said to me still echoes in my mind and I stare down at the syringe. The only reason why I never told anyone about the syringe is because they have to focus on the rebellion. I look back up as a nurse walks in and she smiles at me.

"Alyssa, great news!" She says to me and I smile at her. Haley is always upbeat and nice to me. We were friends before this whole thing started and she dated my older brother. "They saved three of the people from the arena. Acacia, Ethan and one of the girls from the plate are on their way here."

I smile at her and her eyes drop down to the syringe in my hands. "Here...when I feel, someone injected this into me. I don't know what it is, but he told me that I was going to die...no matter what."

"Why didn't you tell someone this sooner?" She asks me as she takes the syringe and I see the fear in her eyes, but I just smile at her. "Aly?" 

"Haley." I whisper as everything starts to go black. "The rebellion is more important...then me..."

**Woo! Okay that was a tough one to write and I hope that its good. I know it was kind of like bang, bang, bang...but I hope that everyone liked it. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D **


	10. Chapter 10: Always A Rebel

**Hey everyone! Woohoo! Here's the new chapter and I hope that everyone likes it! Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Okay onto the new chapter...**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my amazing Beta It-Was-Enchanting!) **

Alwin POV:

Sitting here all that I want to do is talk to her, but they won't allow me to do that. Acacia is still unconscious, but Ethan seems to be okay. To my surprise he forced them to let me talk to him, what surprised me even more was when he asked me about Alyssa. What was I supposed to tell him? That Alyssa decided to sacrifice herself for the rebellion? I look up at Alyssa, who they now have on oxygen and I shake my head. How could she do this? Why would she do this? All that Haley would tell us was, "Alyssa said, 'the rebellion is more important...then me...'" My fingers are in my hair and I'm pulling, hard. Alyssa can't die...she just can't...

"Alwin?" Beth's voice snaps me back to reality and I see that she looks shaken up. She stares at me for a minute and I see the fear in her eyes. I stand up and walk over to her. "You have to come with me to command...something's...something's happened."

Before I can respond she walks out of the room and I follow her. When I catch up to her I see that she's blinking back tears. Fear is rising up inside of me and I want to know what's happen. She starts to walk faster and I easily keep up with her. We walk into command and Odysseus jumps up when he sees me, before I know what's going on, my eyes land on the huge screen and I feel like I could just fall over. Three hovercrafts are following two of ours and I know that we are in trouble now. Are they going to kill them all?

"We have Hector." A woman says and Odysseus rushes over to a screen. I watch as he talks into the headset. He looks frantic and I listen to him telling his brother orders. The screen goes black and I hear Odysseus cuss under his breath. "Lost all connections to them, sir."

Odysseus starts to run around yelling orders and I hear something about another hovercraft. "Get about...five people ready to go and get up there quickly! We have no time to waste and they are already under attack! Beth, go get everyone into the tunnels! Lon, put us on level red! Now! Everyone get going, we don't have time to waste and they are nearing District Seven!"

Everyone starts scrambling around and I run over to Odysseus. I grab his arm and he turns around, when he sees me he shakes his head. Quickly I nod my head, but Odysseus is not going to allow it. He turns to me and looks around the room for someone. I'm going on this mission, no matter what. But before I can say anything, someone walks up behind me and I see Odysseus stare at the person with wide eyes. Slowly I turn around and see Sophie standing in front of me, with her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She's in a long light gray shirt and black pants. Just by looking at her, it looks like she's going on a mission.

"No, no, no! You aren't going either. Both of you have to go down into the tunnels and stay there." Odysseus says and I hear the determination in his voice. "Do both of you understand me? Go, now!"

To my surprise Sophie shakes her head and she stands up straight. From the way that she's standing and the look on her face, you can tell that she lived in the Capitol. "Do you think that they'll force a hovercraft out of the air, if it has the President's thought to be daughter in it? If I go, they'll be able to get back to District Thirteen and once they get into the firing perimeter, you can shoot them down."

"That...is true, but its risky." Odysseus says, but he sighs and nods his head. "Fine, go on ahead and go. Alwin, head down to the tunnel and stay with Beth-"

"No, I'm going too." I look over at Sophie who is nodding her head. Letting out a deep breath I get ready to beg Odysseus. "Please? I have to help save her...if she dies-"

Odysseus shakes his head. "Fine! Hurry up and follow Amina. She will lead you to the hovercraft. Amina!"

A woman with dark brown hair rushes over and listens to Odysseus's orders, quickly she nods her head and leads us through the chaos. Minutes later we are in a large room with a hovercraft in the middle. We walk over to it and I hear a light chuckle, I turn around to see Kevin standing a few inches away from me.

"You're coming with us?" He asks me and I nod my head. Kevin smiles a wide smile and we follow him onto the hovercraft, he turns to Sophie and looks at her for a second. "She's too cute to go on a mission. Who are you anyways?"

Sophie smiles at him. "I'm the President's daughter."

Acacia POV:

I'm starting to come out of the haze, but everything's still fuzzy. My eyes open and I feel the hovercraft shaking. Looking to the left of me I see that Lillian is still knocked out cold. When I try to sit up I feel a small ache in my back and I wince. Outside of the room, I can hear people shouting and I know that something's wrong. Carefully I get out of bed and walk over to the door. The door knob is cold when I wrap my fingers around it and turn it. Slowly I open the door and walk into the hallway. People are running left and right, none of them pay any attention to me. I continue down the hallway and into another small room, with windows. Walking over to the windows I look out and see three other hovercrafts, my jaw drops.

"How can she just disappear? Why didn't you have someone watching her?" I jump when I hear my father's voice and the door opens. He walks into the room and I look into his eyes, my eyes. "Aca! What are you doing in here? You can't just get up and wander around like that!"

I stare at him for a minute and shake my head. "Dad, I'm fine. You don't have to yell at me...I just wanted to know what was going on. Where are we?"

"We are going over District Seven right now. Aca, go back to your room and stay there." I don't like being ordered around and everyone knows it. Even as a young child I was known to rebel when my parents would tell me to do something. "Come on, this isn't a game! Go back to your room now and stay there with Lillian!"

"No, I want to help." My dad stares at me with wide eyes. Obviously he thought that I was just going to listen to him and do what I was told. How does he think that I've stayed alive this long? Certainly not listening to other people's orders. "Dad, I can help."

He shakes his head. "Aca, go back to-"

The whole hovercraft shakes and it feels like we are going down. My dad runs forward and grabs me, he pulls me out of the room. We land on the floor and curl into a ball. My whole body begins to ache as the plane starts to go higher and I hear my dad cuss under his breath. Someone picks me up off the ground and when I see who it is, I start hitting him and yelling at him. Ethan tightens his grip on me as we start to go back down and we fall to the ground. He lands on top of me and I hear loud bangs. I feel my body start to shake, this has been happening on and off. After I was rescued from the arena they still haven't been able to find something to stop my body from shaking.

"Ethan, take Acacia to her room and stay there with her." I stare at my dad in shock as Ethan picks me up. Wasn't my dad the one who always told me not to trust Ethan? "Aca, just stay there...please."

He walks off and Ethan carries me into the room. When he sets me down on my bed, I try to act as though I'm exhausted and I'm going to take a nap. Ethan sits down and after a few minutes I sit up and I notice him looking out the window. Carefully I try to get out of bed, but Ethan notices and he rushes over to push me back down. A gasp escapes from my lips as my body begins to ache.

"Aca, stay down..." He whispers this to me and I stare at him. Anger is coursing through me as I stare at him. "Please? You could get hurt."

I stare into his eyes and shake my head a little. "You and my father seem to be forgetting one thing...if the plane goes down, I still get hurt. What's the difference if I stay down or not?"

"Don't think like that!" He growls at me and he almost falls over as the hovercraft tips forward. "We are going to be fine and they have back up on the way."

"Back up?" When he realizes what he just told me, I hear him cussing himself out. "Who's coming? Ethan?"

Ethan shakes his head a little. "Not many people. Kevin's coming. You remember him right? You like Kevin..."

"Who else is coming?" I growl at him and I grab him by the shirt to keep him from falling over. The pain hits me again, but I ignore it. "Ethan?" 

He sighs and nods his head a little. "I know that Alwin and Sophie are!" 

I let go of him and he ends up falling to the floor. Alwin and Sophie? They went through the trouble of taking the President's daughter and now they are going to wave her around, teasing them? What in the hell are they thinking? My Alwin, what if something happens? Right at that moment I look out the window and hear a loud bang, one of the hovercrafts fall from the sky. One of our hovercrafts...I cry out and Ethan stares out the window. The horror is clear on his face.

**And done! What did you think? :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **


	11. Chapter 11: The President's Secret?

**Hey everyone! I hope that all of you like the story so far! :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Okay, I'll just let you get to the new chapter. Thank you to Beth, my awesome Beta who puts up with me, gives me ideas, support, feedback and fixes my mistakes for me-haha! **

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Alwin POV:

We watch as the hovercraft goes down and I want to scream. The hovercraft only had five people in it, but that still means five lives lost. Sophie stands beside me and I stare at her for a minute, she seems a little confused. Kevin comes walking over and starts telling us about how the others are holding up. But neither of us are paying attention to him, my eyes are on Sophie and her's are on the Capitol's hovercrafts. A few minutes later we watch as one of their hovercrafts crash to the ground and Sophie looks like she might cry. I reach out toward her, but she just shakes her head and walks over to one of the seats. When she sits down, she puts her head in her hands and shakes her head. Slowly I walk over to her and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Sophie?" I whisper and she looks up at me. Her eyes are wide and I watch as the tears fall down her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"The person flying the hovercraft, his name was Adkins. He was my best friend Emily's father." She looks down at her hands and starts to play with her fingers. Her eyes stay on her fingers, but I can tell that she wants to say more. "Why do we have to kill people to get what we want? Those people-they are my friends and I love them. I can't just sit here and watch them die."

Kevin comes walking over and he kneels down beside Sophie. "Everything will be okay. Right now we are just trying to show them that we aren't going to give up. They know that you're on this hovercraft and they won't shoot it down. I know how you feel though, a few friends of mine were on the hovercraft that they shot down."

"Why do we have to do this?" She asks him and she starts to cry harder. I stare at her and watch her body shake. "Can't we get what we want, without the violence?"

"You do realize that you're talking about the people who took you away from your family? Those same people killed your mother." I tell her and she looks up at me in shock. "Sorry, but this is apart of war. People die and they don't die for nothing. Don't you see that?"

She looks up at me and shakes her head a little. "So narrow minded. Do you always talk like that? Anger and hatred are two things that should not be held onto, they make you bitter and ruin lives. I forgive them for what they've done to me and they will pay for it. What if Acacia's hovercraft went down? How would you feel then? Would it be for the greater good of others? Or would you want to avenge her death?"

"That..." I shake my head a little, she's right and she knows it. Right now if Ace's plane went down, I would kill every last person on the hovercraft that took her down. "Fine...you win..."

Sophie shakes her head and keeps her eyes locked with mine. "I don't care about winning, just that you see my point. Do any of you know why the Capitol took me?"

"No, but we'll find out." I tell her and she just nods her head a little. An alarm starts to go off and everyone scatters to find a place to hold onto. Kevin's arms wrap around Sophie and he holds the two of them in place. "What's going on now? Come on!" 

Beth POV:

I stare at the closed door and wonder what's going on right now. My sister is on a hovercraft and she could easily die. Why would they let her go on a hovercraft? Don't they know how idiotic that is? Now that we have the President's "daughter" lets send her into the air to be shot down, to her death. What a wonderful plan! Odysseus comes walking over to me and sits down beside me. The lights flicker off and back on, they've been doing this for the last couple of hours and I'm sick of being stuck down here.

"It was her idea. Sophie is pretty...convincing." He tells me and I look over at him. Our eyes meet and I know that he's telling me the truth. "She wanted to go, because she knew that they wouldn't shoot down a hovercraft with her on it. That girl is pretty smart, I'll give her that."

"You shouldn't of let her go." I mumble and I hear him let out a small sigh. "Don't you realize that this is the first time that I've seen her since we were children and now I might loose her again? She's the last person in my family who is still alive!"

He nods his head a little. "I know, but I couldn't say no to her. She'll be fine and you two can get to know each other better. Don't worry, they wouldn't dare shoot down a hovercraft carrying her in it. The President and his wife would go insane. Many people would pay for it."

"Do you know why they took her?" I ask him in a whisper, but he shakes his head. "Will we ever find out why?"

"I don't know, hopefully...maybe." He says and I hear him chuckle lightly. "Well, I'll leave you alone and let your admirer come over to see you."

I stare up at him as he gets up. "Admirer?"

"Hector Lelo." I look over at a boy with dark brown hair and bright green eyes. A boy that I've talked to many times, but we've never talked about _liking_ each other. "You know he likes you. After I leave, he'll come over here...have fun."

I watch as Odysseus walks away and my eyes drop down to the floor. When I feel someone sit down beside me, I'm afraid to look over beside me, but I do. Hector's sitting next to me, our eyes meet and I feel a light blush creeping into my cheeks. My gaze drops back down to the floor.

"Hi." He whispers and I feel his hand touch mine. Slowly I slip my hand palm up and he intertwines his fingers through mine. "Are you okay?"

I nod my head a little. "I will be...don't leave me."

Acacia POV:

My eyes drop to the floor and I look over at Lillian, who's shaking her head. My dad comes running into the room and when he sees the broken look on my face, he pulls me into his arms. I hug my dad back and feel his lips press against my forehead. We stay like this for a few minutes and all that I can think about is the image of Alwin...dead. This image is the only thing that I've been thinking about as the seconds tick by, as I wait for someone to tell me that he's not dead. He can't be dead or else a part of me dies with him. I die with him...

"Aca, it wasn't his hovercraft." My dad whispers to me and tears start to fall from my eyes. This is the best news that my father could have given me. "It's okay..."

"Dad, can I talk to him?" I pull away from him and he shakes his head. Right now I feel defeated and like I could just fall over. "Please?"

He shakes his head again and helps Ethan up off the floor. "You can see him when we land in District Thirteen. Talk to Lillian. She might have a few more secrets for you."

Lillian smiles at my dad and he winks at her. The door closes behind my dad and Lillian gets up, slowly she walks over to me. I hand her a pad of paper. She takes it and I watch her as she writes. Her handwriting is amazing and way better then mine is. Ethan stands by the door, his eyes stay on us the whole time, but I can tell that he's curious and wants to leave his post.

"You can come over here." I tell him and he gives a slight shake of his head. "We aren't going to try to run. Come on over here."

He smiles at me. "No, I know that she won't run...but you might try to. Your father told me that if you get away again, he will be in charge of me. Do you really think that I want to die?"

Lillian hands me the piece of paper and I look down at it. _What would you like to know? I know many secrets about the President and many of the Capitol's citizens. Ask me anything that you would like. My mother worked in the Capitol, as the President's closest companion besides his wife. She was extremely close to him, he killed my father so that my mother would __move to the Capitol for him. Before she died, my mother told me the President's deepest secrets and after her death...the President ordered my tongue be cut out. He made me work for him and I've been working for him since I was eight. _

"Eight?" I ask her and she nods her head. "How old are you now?"

She takes the piece of paper back and writes one word: _Twenty._

"Here." I hand the piece of paper back to her and I stare at her for a few minutes. "Do you know why the President took Sophie?"

Her head is bobbing up and down quickly.

"Can you tell me?" I ask her and she nods her head. She starts writing and I know that this is probably the secret that got her tongue cut out. "I'm sorry if you put yourself in danger...for telling me things."

For a second she just stares at me and she shakes her head. I smile at her and she hands me back the slip of paper, but not before smiling at me. She lets go of the paper and I slowly look down at it.

**Sorry for cutting off right there! :D Beth's next POV will be longer and maybe a little more about her and Hector? What do you think so far? Like it? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **

**(Check out my AWESOME Beta's stories: It-Was-Enchanting. All of her stories are AWESOME and I love them so much! I've been addicted from the second that she posted her first chapter and you'll be addicted from the first chapter that you read-no matter which story it is. She is an awesome Beta and writer! Check her stories out!)**


	12. Chapter 12: The Attack Begins

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! I hope that everyone likes the story so far. Here's the new chapter! :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. An even bigger thank you to my Beta and friend, Beth! She is awesome and you should really check out her stories, It-Was-Enchanting. When she became a Beta I was thrilled, because I'd been looking for a Beta for a while and I couldn't find one. I don't know if there are many people who I'd trust with my stories, but her I definitely would.  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Beth POV:

I stare up at a flashing light and I know that somethings happened, that somethings gone wrong. Sighing I get out of bed and walk out into the hallway. Turning to the left I walk into a large circular room, the one that has the door leading back to our home. Odysseus comes walking into the room and when he sees me, I can see the fear in his eyes. Just by looking at him I can tell that he hasn't gotten a lot of sleep lately. He walks over to me and we both look up at the flashing light. When we look back at each other, he nods his head a little. Why is he nodding his head? Has something gone wrong? Acacia, Alwin, Kevin and Sophie are out there.

"What happened?" My voice is low and I feel the panic starting to set in. He grabs my arm and pulls me down a hallway. When we enter a large room I look around me. The walls are like the others, cement and the floor is a dull blue, but its still cement. "Are they okay?"

My eyes roam around the room again and I see the large TV screen on the wall. Hector is sitting there watching the screen and I see that a little light is lighting up on the screen. Slowly I walk over to the screen, but all that I can see is that there are four hovercrafts. Odysseus has me sit down and I keep my eyes on the screen as he barks orders into a headset. I watch as the hovercrafts change positions.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I ask in an annoyed tone. Hector turns to me and I feel a blush creeping into my cheeks as he smiles at me. "Are they okay? Why are those...lights flashing?"

"They are going over District Twelve right now and they should be here in a few hours. We're listening to the Capitol's radio's to see what they are planning." He shakes his head a little and I feel my heart sink a little. "They might try to knock one of the hovercrafts out of the sky, but the only problem is that Sophie's on one of them. If they kill the President's daughter, they'll feel the raft of him. Chances are that whoever ordered them to shoot down that hovercraft, would die on the spot once they returned to the Capitol."

I nod my head a little. "Why are the lights flashing? Did they try to attack or what?"

"We got a little warning from the Capitol and we are tightening our security. Actually...from our spies in the Capitol." Odysseus turns to face me and I notice that he's starting to get bags under his eyes. "They are planning on attacking us before the hovercrafts have time to land, forcing them to stay up in the air and they are going to try and force them back towards the Capitol. Before they can do that, we are going to try and shoot them down."

"Are our hovercrafts at risk of being shot down? Maybe if someone missed their aim?" He looks down and I know that this could all go wrong. "Can't we have something set up, like lines for ours to fly and have them drop back, then fire? Wouldn't that be a little less risky?"

Odysseus sighs and shakes his head. "Their hovercrafts are following ours. If ours go up, they go up. We heard them talking about launching a rescue mission if they make it back alive. If they did that...we could loose a lot of people if they some how got too close to us. We're working on everything as quickly as we can."

A loud bang makes me jump and everything starts to shake. Odysseus ignores it and starts talking into the headphones again. Hector holds me tightly to him, but our eyes stay on the screen. We are under attack.

Acacia POV:

I stare at the piece of paper in my hands and feel like I can't breath. This is one secret that the President and his wife would never want to get out. My eyes are wide and I'm shocked. My eyes stay on Lillian's handwriting, _The President and his wife cannot have children. To find the perfect child for them they sent spies into the Districts to look for someone who could pass as their child. Sophie has the same colored eyes as his wife and her long dark hair. Even though they aren't exactly a match, they work. When he got the pictures of Sophie, he ordered that she be taken to the Capitol immediately. __They made sure that Sophie forgot about her family, but as she got older the memories came back to her. Once they realized that she was starting to remember and they knew that they had to get rid of anyone who knew. Beth's name was the only one in the reaping bowl that day, so that she would go in for sure. After Beth said good bye to her mother, her mother was killed. Sophie had to be kept in the dark and they told her that the little girl she remembered was a friend of her's, that her friend had died when they were little._

"Does anyone else know about this?" I ask her and she shakes her head. My eyes go over to Ethan, who is staring at me and I know that he's dying to see what's on the piece of paper. "If you over here, you can read it."

He shakes his head and I look down. "Aca. I can't leave the door, what if you get out?"

"What am I? An animal? Do you have me in a cage right now? Because it sure as hell feels like it." Ethan just shakes his head and looks down at the floor. He has a little ear piece in his ear and from time to time it seems like he dazes out a little. "Who's talking to you in your ear piece? You can tell us what's going on you know."

"If I do that you might freak out." He says back to me and I just roll my eyes. "You know that you would."

I smile at him. "Try me."

"Okay, what if District Thirteen was under attack? What if they were planning on trying to take down our hovercraft or make us loop around, back towards the Capitol?" He looks surprised for a moment and starts cussing at himself. "Shit, none of that's happening. Don't worry, everyone's okay."

"You are a horrible liar." I tell him and he glares at me. "Is District Thirteen under attack right now?"

His eyes narrow and he shakes his head. "No, no one's under attack and you better not say anything about this to anyone. Got it?"

"If you don't tell me, I'll go tell my dad that you let that slip." His eyes widen and I smile at him. "Now, tell me what's going on." 

"There's just a small problem in District Thirteen, but I think that they've almost taken care of it. I think they said that they were on foot and that most of them have been taken care of." My eyes shut at the way that he says "_taken care of"_. That must mean that most of them are dead. "Don't worry, we'll get back to District Thirteen and everything will be okay. You'll see Alwin and blah, blah, blah..."

I stare at him for a minute. "Why are you such a jack ass?"

"I'm not..." He says and he looks down for a minute. "Do you think that you can find out how Alyssa's doing?"

"How am I supposed to?" My voice is full of annoyance. "They won't let me talk to Alwin!"

Right at that moment the door opens and in walks my dad. He smiles at me and hands me a headset. I stare at it for a second and take it. My hands are shaking as I put it on my head and his voice makes me sigh. Alwin, my Alwin.

**What did you think? :D I had a little fun with that chapter and I hope that everyone liked it. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting's stories, they keep me guessing and after I read a new chapter for her I cannot focus on anything! She is that amazing! Check them out and I promise you that you won't be disappointed! :D )**


	13. Chapter 13: Hope Is Still Alive

**Hey everyone! Here's the new chapter. I hope that everyone likes it. :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. A huge THANK YOU to Beth (my Beta and friend). WOOHOO! Okay, here's the new chapter, hopefully all of you like it!**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Alwin POV:

My eyes shut when I hear her voice and I want to have her in my arms right now. She's alive and she's going back to District Thirteen, soon she'll be with me. I let out a small sigh and I can imagine her beside me right now, her voice is low and soft. Ace is okay and she's going to be with me soon. My eyes open slowly and I hear her asking me something, but I don't hear the whole question. Something about Alyssa? Clearing my throat I try to ask her what she said, but not in a way that she knows that I wasn't listening to the words coming out of her mouth, but to her voice.

"Sorry, what did you say?" My voice is low and I hear her breathing. I can picture her in my head right now, her beautiful face and then I remember the baby. Did she loose the baby? "Sorry, I was in shock from hearing your voice and I was enjoying it."

"It's alright. Finally, I get to talk to you. I love you." Her voice is full of emotion and I smile a little. How long has it been since I've heard her say that to me? Too long. "Do you know how Alyssa's doing? We've all been wondering, but no one will tell us anything about her."

I shake my head a little, wishing that there was a way to get out of this. "Um...yeah, I've seen her. Don't tell anyone that I told you this, but...she's not doing too good. On the rescue mission someone injected something into her, but she didn't tell anyone. It's slowly been killing her and no one knew. She just told someone about it a little while ago. Now their trying to figure out how to keep her alive, but they haven't found a way yet."

"Alyssa, she's dying?" The sadness in her voice is as clear as day and I can just image in the look on her face right now. I can see the tears building up in her eyes and I want to make them go away. "Why didn't she tell anyone? They might have been able to save her-"

"She thinks that the rebellion is more important then her. Everyone's working hard on keeping her alive and we aren't giving up." My voice is steady and I'm kicking myself for telling her this. Why did I tell her that? Oh yeah, because I'm an idiot! "Ace, she's going to be fine. Don't worry about her. Alyssa's fighting it and the last time that I saw her, she looked better already."

"You're a terrible liar, Al." Ace sounds worried now and I wish that I hadn't of told her. I look down at her Jabberjay pin on my shirt. "I still love you though..."

A small smile forms on my lips and I play with the pin. "I love you too, Ace." 

"Alwin, I can't wait to see you. I've missed you so much." Someone else is talking and I know the voice, its Ethan. What's Ethan doing in there? "When we get back to Thirteen the first person that I want to see is you. I've been begging them to let me talk to you. How did you do it?"

"I have my ways." A small smile is on my lips and I shake my head a little. Don't ask her, don't ask her. "So, what's Ethan saying?"

For a minute she's quiet and I think that I've ticked her off. She lets out a light sigh. "You aren't jealous are you? I've told you, I only love you-"

"Alwin." Ethan's voice is what I hear now and I shake my head a little. He sounds panicked. "What happened to Alyssa? Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine. Don't worry, Ethan." Why am I even telling him this? It's not like he cares about her or anything. Alyssa's better off without him and everyone knows it. But there's something in his voice that tells me that I'm wrong. "Why do you want to know? I thought that you loved my wife?"

He takes a deep breath and I wait. "No, I love Aly." 

Beth POV:

I'm being pulled out of the room and into the large room, where everyone else is gathering. Hector sits down beside me and holds me to him. Odysseus rushes out of the room and he's yelling commands like crazy. He says something about shooting them down. Silently I stand up and start walking around to the others. Everyone jumps when the bombings start back up and I feel panic coursing through me. Hector walks up behind me and pulls me back to our spot. For a minute it feels like times standing still and I feel like screaming, the bombings have stopped.

"Lost all connections to them, sir." A woman's voice whispers to Odysseus and he looks down. He turns to look at her and I see the sadness in his eyes. "Do you think we lost her?"

Odysseus looks furious and he starts shaking his head. "No, they are all fine and I know it. They'll be here in a few hours and we'll have them back. We can go on with the rebellion then, but after we can go back above ground we have to set up a new line of defense." 

"Did you talk to Aca? Odysseus?" My voice is barely a whisper and he nods his head a little. I shut my eyes and look down. "She's okay then? You don't think that they shot the hovercrafts down, do you? What...what happened to Alyssa? Is she still okay?"

"We don't know. Our connection has been lost with everyone who's above ground and it seems like we aren't the only ones. The Capitol's lost all communications with each other." He shakes his head a little and I see the lights stop flashing. The doors open and everyone starts to scurry back up the stairs. "Do you want to go check on her? I know that she looked at you as a friend."

My hearts pounding as I run over to one of the elevators that haven't been destroyed and Hector follows me. I watch him as he pulls out a knife and I raise my eyebrows at him. A knife? Really? What the hell is he doing? But then he does something that shocks me even more, he hands one to me. When the elevator doors open my eyes go wide and I see two Peacekeepers standing in front of us. We both let our instincts take over and we lunge at them.

Alyssa POV:

My eyes stay shut, but I can hear the people around me. Slowly I open my eyes and look to the left of me, there's a knife. Somethings going on and I have to try and help. I get out of bed, pick up the knife and pull off my oxygen. Right now I can barley breath and I sneak out into the hallway. What's going on? The lights have stopped flashing and there are only a few people around on the floor. But when I get by the elevators I see a tall Peacekeeper getting ready to kill Beth and I aim my knife at his back. The knife sails through the air and lodges in his back, he sinks to the ground and the other two look around in shock. Everything's blurry and I start to fall to the floor.

"Alyssa!" Beth's voice is frantic and I hear two people running toward me. My head hits the ground and I open my eyes for a second, to puke. As soon as I'm done, I drift into unconsciousness. "She's not wearing her oxygen. Can you help me get her back in there?"

I feel someone pick me up and seconds later I'm back in my bed. Oxygen is being pumped into me, but I don't feel any better. Slowly I'm dying and I know that soon I'll be gone for good. There is one thing that I want before I die though, I want to see Ethan one last time. Even though he hurt me and I should hate him, I don't. I still love him.

**Woohoo! Done! What did you think? :D Next chapter should have an Alwin and Acacia reunion. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**

**(Thank you to my awesome Beta Beth (It-Was-Enchanting), check out her stories. You'll love them-trust me I'm addicted to them. :D )**


	14. Chapter 14: Her Heart Stops

**Hey everyone! New chapter time and this ones all from Acacia's POV (like the first story). I'm not sure how many POV's I'm going to be doing, I might go back to Acacia's and have another character's every so often. Thank you for reading, the reviews and everything else.  
(Updating sched. is gone. I'll update when I can though. :D )**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my awesome Beta Beth! :D )**

Acacia POV:

I feel the hovercraft landing and I let out a light sigh. Please let us be back in District Thirteen and I can finally see Alwin. Ethan opens the door and the three of us walk out. We look around and see that everyone's running around like maniacs. They are all running out of the hovercraft and I just stand here watching. Lillian comes up beside me and taps me on the shoulder. When I look over at her I see that she's pointing at the counter across the room, where they have knives piled up. Looking around I run over to the counter and pick up four knives. Silently I hand two to Lillian and her eyes go wide. Shaking her head she makes me keep them and she follows me outside.

People are running around, knives are being thrown and guns are being shot. Lillian and I start to run, but we are pulled behind a wall. A scream catches in my throat, but when I see who it is I fling my arms around his neck. Alwin's arms wrap around me and I start crying. His lips meet mine and we break apart when another gun is fired. We look at each other one last time and nod our heads. My dad's yelling orders and is throwing knives at people. I lodge a knife in someone's back and they fall forward. My fingers grip onto the knife and I pull it out. Alwin's beside me the whole time and he's taking down everyone in his path. Odysseus appears and he smiles at me.

"Acacia! Welcome back! Here's your party!" He yells and I kill the person behind him. I turn around and take another Peacekeeper down. When there's only one Peacekeeper left, everyone stares at the person who's taking off their head piece. "Stop! NOW!"

My eyes go wide as the helmet and the person fall crashing to the ground. Odysseus walk over to the Peacekeeper and I see the look of shock on his face. He stands up and orders two people to help him move the Peacekeeper's body inside. I stare at them in shock. Why are they taking a Peacekeeper inside? Everyone's running inside and looking for their families. Alwin's fingers are intertwined with mine and he holds me tightly to him.

He kisses me on the neck and whispers in my ear,"I'll never let you go."

Ethan runs past us and I hear him asking anyone who might know if Alyssa's okay. I look around to try and find Beth, but she's no where in sight. My eyes lock with Odysseus's and he walks over to me. When he reaches us Ethan walks over and Odysseus gestures for us to follow him.

"Where's Alyssa?" Is the only thing that comes out of Ethan's lips as we follow Odysseus to an elevator and get inside. My stomach drops to my feet as we descend below the upper District Thirteen and into the place where they planned the first rebellion. "What happened around here?"

"We were attacked, dumb ass." Odysseus mumbles under his breath and I shake my head a little. He turns to us and Alwin keeps his arms around me. "I have a little surprise for the two of you. Ashlee's back, but she's close to..."

"That was Ashlee?" I ask as the doors open and all four of us are running down the hallway."How did she get back here? Doesn't it seem like they'd notice-"

He just shrugs and leads us into a large white room. Laying in two beds side by side are Ashlee and Alyssa. Neither of them are awake. "From what I understand Alyssa saved Beth, but she passed out right after. As for Ashlee, I don't know what happened to her."

"Aca!" Beth rushes over to me and hugs me. I almost fall over and I see the tears in her eyes when she pulls away from me. Her eyes are red and she looks terrified. "I...we tried to help Alyssa, but they are saying that her levels are dropping too rapidly and that she will probably be dead by morning. I'm sorry."

"Is there really no hope? She's just going to...be dead?" No one looks me in the eyes and I nod my head a little. Without a word to anyone I walk over to where Ethan is now. He's on his knees beside Alyssa and he's whispering to her. "Aly? Please don't do this to us..."

Her eyes flicker open and I see that the lights dimmed. "Aca, you're...back. Ethan...you were never really good to me and I should have known that you loved Aca-"

"No! Aly, I love you and only you." The tears swell up in her eyes as he says this and I see the tears pouring down his face. I back away a little and see Ashlee holding something in her hand. "Please, don't leave me. I've waited this long to get you back and you just can't..."

"If Aca died, so would the hope of a rebellion. You don't seem to understand that, Ethan." Her eyes are drooping and I watch as Ethan tries to keep her alive. "For a while...I've known that I was going to die. Don't look so sad, you'll find someone else that you'll love and I know it."

Ashlee's hand opens and I stare at it. I take it from her hand, its a small syringe filled with a light yellow liquid. "This...will save...her."

The tears in my eyes roll down my cheeks as Ashlee's eyes close and her head turns to the side. I stare at her for a second and I hear the loud beep of her machine. My tears keep falling as Haley walks into the room, I see the panic and sadness in her eyes as she calls others in. Silently I hand her the syringe and she stares at me as other nurses rush into the room. My eyes stay on Alyssa as they try to bring Ashlee back.

"Ashlee...I mean...she said that this would save Aly." The hope lights up in her eyes and she rushes over to Alyssa. I'm dragged out of the room by Alwin. Ethan's the only one who's allowed to stay. "How can this be happening? Is she really...gone?"

Alwin cups my face with his hands and he makes me look at him. "They'll bring her back..."

_You think..._

**Okay, really sad chapter. What did you think? Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**

***Check out the awesome It-Was-Enchanting, her stories are amazing and I've been in love with her stories since she started They Boy Without The Bread. I'm probably her biggest fan on this site...or I'd like to think that I am. :D Check out her stories.** *


	15. Chapter 15: Baby?

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! Update time! :D This chapter answers a few questions that weren't answered before and I hope that all of you like it. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter.**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my AWESOME Beta Beth! Check out her stories: It-Was-Enchanting, they are all amazing and are some of my favorites on here-okay, I'm addicted to them and I'm waiting for more. :D Can't...wait...for...the...next story...need them...to continue.)**

My backs up against the wall and the tears are pouring out. Alwin's holding me tightly to his side as I try to breath and I try to push the image of Ashlee laying there in front of me, lifeless. I put my head in my hands and try to shake the whole thing off. He kisses me on the top of my head and I shut my eyes. Why do people have to die for something to change? Alyssa was giving up her life too though, but Ashlee died for her. Sinking into him I put my head down on his lap and he starts to run his fingers through my hair, until a doctor comes out and smiles at me. Oh no, I remember this doctor and I'm not very fond of him.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Coin." Dr. Gentry smiles at me and I freeze. What does he want? Is he here to tell me that Ashlee's dead? For some reason I'm glaring at him and he keeps smiling at me. "Odysseus just informed me that you were back and I think that we should check on the foetus-"

"What's the point? I lost the baby in the arena," I say in a shaky voice. Alwin's arms feel like they are holding me tighter and the doctor just shakes his head. "Do you know something that I don't? When I fell in that one part of the arena...after I got blood and I know that I've lost the baby. Can't we just leave it at that and you can go see those two? They have a chance. Do you think that Ashlee can be brought back?"

Dr. Gentry looks down for a minute and he just shrugs. "I don't know, but Mrs. Coin you might still be pregnant and we have to get that checked out. Please, come with me? Your husband can accompany you and we'll know after a few minutes. Follow me."

"Come on, let's get it checked out. Ace..." Alwin's voice is soft, but urgent and I just shake my head. I know that I lost the baby and why should I have to deal with the fact that I lost the baby, again? Isn't it enough to go through that once? He picks me up and carries me after the doctor. "Everything will be okay...everything will be okay. After a few minutes we'll find out if we are still having a baby, okay?"

We are led into small white room where they take a blood sample and they have me go into a small restroom that's attached to the room. I walk out and hand Dr. Gentry my cup, but I shake my head. Sitting back down Alwin takes my hand and I stare at the wall. My thoughts drift off to Ashlee and Alyssa, are they okay? Alwin squeezes my hand and I look up at him. Sitting back I try to relax, because I know that everything will be okay right here and I need to get back to the others. What if Aly is dead now too? Ashlee died for Alyssa to live and I can't believe it. I can't be having a baby, in the arena I was sure that I lost the baby and I'm sure that I'm not pregnant.

"I'm back you two. Who's ready to find out the results?" Dr. Gentry's voice is full of enthusiasm and I want to bite his head off already. He smiles at the two of us and I just shake my head. "Acacia, you're still pregnant and right now you're about...three and a half months in. See? Aren't you glad that we checked?"

My hand drops to my stomach and I rub it. The baby can't still be... "Is the baby okay? When I fell...it didn't hurt the baby, right? Dr. Gentry?"

"The baby's fine, but we'll have to keep our eyes on it. Don't worry, stress will put more of a strain on-," the door opens and in walks a nurse, she gives him a number three sign and he looks worried. "Excuse me, I'm needed somewhere else. I'll see the two of you later."

Dr. Gentry rushes out of the room on the nurse's heels. Alwin helps me off of the table and I almost fall over. I'm still pregnant? The baby survived some how? Shock hits me and I feel the tears pouring down my cheeks as Alwin helps me out of the room. Once we are out in the hallway I see Ethan being held back by two tall men, he's glaring at the doors. When we reach him, I can hear the long string of cuss words that he's letting out. We stare at him for a minute and I see the tears rushing down his cheeks.

"What's going on?" Alwin asks this to no one in particular and I stare at Ethan. "Is Alyssa okay?"

Ethan looks over at him and he shakes his head frantically. "I don't know! They forced me out after they gave her whatever was in that thing and she started shaking! What's happening to her? Why can't I go back into the room and be with her? I have to be with her!"

I turn around to see Beth come walking out of the room and I see the tears falling down her cheeks. Hector's behind her and he's looking at her like he wants to comfort her, but he doesn't know how to. Beth walks over to me and I hug her. When we break apart I stare at her and she looks over at Alwin. My hearts pounding a thousand times faster then it should be and I'm terrified to know what she's going to say. She nods her head at Ethan, who looks confused and he just shakes his head.

"Alyssa's fine..." Beth's words are clear, but I can see the sadness in her eyes. She looks down and takes a deep breath before she looks back up at me. "Ashlee's dead...they couldn't bring her back, they said something about her having a mark in her arm from an injection."

"A mark? Do they know what it was from?" She nods her head and I do the same. "What happened to her? They know what killed her then?"

She keeps nodding her head. "They said that...whatever was injected into Alyssa, that she used it first. Something about her blood undoing the damage. It'll take a little while, but Alyssa will be fine. Are you okay? Aca?"

"Yeah..." I nod my head a little and feel the hot tears running down my cheeks. "I'm still pregnant..."

**End! Woohoo! What did you think? Like it? I feel bad about Ashlee, she was one of my favorites, but...it was always planned that way. Thank you for reading! Please leave a review. :D Another update to come soon. **

***I might not update for a few days, but I might update on Friday. :D ***


	16. Chapter 16: Starting A Rebellion?

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! New chapter time! Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. I hope that everyone likes the story so far and that all of you like the new chapter! :D  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my awesome Beta Beth! :D )**

**(Happy Birthday to my sister and best friend Tara! I love you sissy and I hope that you like the new chapter! :D Yay! Okay, because I know that you hate me pointing it out like this HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)**

**(Happy Birthday to MysteriousGirl92! I hope that you have a good birthday and that you like the updates. Let me know how your birthday is and what you think. :D )**

**(Happy Birthday to Girlwho3stheBoyWithTheBread, who's birthday is also on the 19th. I hope that you have a good birthday! :D )**

I walk into the small apartment that Alwin and I have been given. We smile at each other and I shake my head a little bit. Now that we all know that I'm still pregnant this makes things harder for the rebellion and that means that I can't be directly involved. Alwin and I sit down on the couch together. When I suggested that my baby could handle just about anything everyone looked at me like I was insane and maybe I am. Looks like their going to have an insane person as the face of the rebellion, congratulations to them. Slowly I put my head in my hands and Alwin pulls me to him, he holds me tightly to him. How long was I in the arena for? My stomach has a small bump on it, but not for someone who's about four months along. They told me that I was in the arena for over a month or two, but they won't tell me how long exactly. The arena...my personal hell and where I've met some of the people that I care about most. It's where I found out that I was in love with Alwin, where I met some of my friends-Beth, Ashlee...

Shaking my head I try to stop the tears from falling. Ashlee's dead and Alyssa's still fighting for her life. Why did Ashlee have to die? I don't understand why those two are gambling with their lives like that, they'll both end up dead-no, I can't say that. Aly is going to live, she's going to live and she's going to kick Ethan's ass for messing with her like that. Could I handle her dying? No, she's one of my best friends. As my mind feels like its about to explode, there's a knock on the door and Alwin gets up to answer it.

"Oh, hi Beth. Are you okay?" his voice has concern laced in it and I watch him step aside for Beth to come in. When she steps into view I see the small smile on her lips and I watch as Sophie steps in behind her. They both smile at me and Alwin says something about going to get me a snack. "I'll be back later. Ace...I love you."

"I love you too," I whisper to him and he smiles as he shuts the door behind him. My eyes flicker up to Beth and Sophie, they both look happy and it kind of scares me. Sitting up a little more I make my self comfortable and gesture for them to sit down. "What's going on?"

"Well...we came to tell you that Alyssa's doing better and they are saying that she should be able to leave the hospital in a week. The other thing is that we wanted to see what you were thinking about the rebellion," Beth's voice is light and I nod my head a little. I need to be involved in the rebellion and everyone knows it. No one will let me though, not with the baby. "Odysseus said that after you have the baby we'll be going into full rebellion mode, but others are saying that you're going to start before that. Which one is it?"

Sighing I stand up and walk around the room. They both stare at me as I pace around the room, neither one of them utter a word. "Dr. Gentry told me that if I were to fight right now that I could harm the baby and their shocked that the baby's still okay right now. We have to wait until after the baby's born and then we are going to go hard with the rebellion. Odysseus's orders..."

"They'll come by then! You're only a few months along and everyone is watching for the rebellion," says Sophie in an urgent voice. Her eyes are wide with fear and I know why. She will be taken back to the Capitol and be used as their puppet again. "I don't want to go back and be lied to. Haven't they taken enough from me? Acacia, I want to be free and not have to be looked at as the President's daughter...when I'm not."

"Do you know why you were taken? They chose you, but do you know why they had to?" She stares at me with a confused look on her face and gives a slight shake of her head. I walk back over to the couch and sit back down, thinking over what I know. "You were taken because the President and his wife could not have a child. They didn't want the word to get out, so why not go take a child from a District? A child who's family was poor and who couldn't speak up for themselves because of the fear of being killed. Beth's name was picked that day for her to go in, but they waited until you started asking questions. Until you started to remember."

Sophie's eyes are huge and she looks over at her sister. "That's why they took me? Why didn't they take someone else or why didn't they choose Beth?"

"You were their first choice and you could pass as the President's daughter. They were basing it on looks, the family and how young the child was." I shrug a little and she just stares at me as I rub my bump. My little baby, who I'll do anything to protect. This is all such a mess and I know that I'll have to start fighting, soon. Odysseus will see that with time and I have no doubt about it. "Do you two have anything else that you would like to ask me? Wait...do you know what's going to happen to Ashlee's body?"

"Wait...you don't know?" Beth's voice is full of shock and I stare at her, confusion courses through me. She shakes her head a little and looks down at her hands. "They brought her back, but they don't know if she's going to make it. Her brain activity is still low and so is her heartbeat-"

Sophie shakes her head a little. "They don't think that she's going to make it and if she's not any better by the end of the week..."

"She's still alive? Why didn't anyone..." My hands bawl up into fist and I want to punch someone or something. Right at that moment Alwin walks in carrying a tray. He smiles at the three of us, but when his eyes take in my expression his face drops. Alwin closes the door and walks over to sit beside me on the couch. The food makes my mouth water and I know that I have to eat, but I have to figure out what's going on. "Did you know that they brought Ashlee back? But they think that she's going to die?"

"What?" Alwin stares at me with wide eyes and I can see that he's as shocked as I am. Slowly he shakes his head and I let out a light sigh. There's another knock on the door and he gets up to answer it again, leaving me with the tray of food. Maybe one little bite... "Hi..."

The boy who I saw Beth with walks in...Hector? Yeah, that's his name. He walks over to Beth with wide eyes and fear flashes into her eyes. I watch as Beth and Sophie stand up to leave, but I jump up too. Everyone stares at me as I start to shake my head. Taking a deep breath I say in a light voice, "what's going on now?"

**WOOHOO! New chapter done! What did you think? Like it? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D **

**(Check out the AMAZING It-Was-Enchanting's stories, I love every single one of them to pieces and she's going to write more. I can't wait to read more and you'll fall in love with them from the second that you read the first word. :D ) **


	17. Chapter 17: More Games

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! New chapter time! Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else! :DI love writing all of my stories and this one I might be a little too attached to. Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter...**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my AWESOME Beta and friend Beth! I hope that you feel better! Check out her stories It-Was-Enchanting.)**

**(I'll be writing two fanfictions for Fandom Fights Tsunami, so check that out! I have the link to it on my profile and on my facebook like page.)**

**(I keep getting told that I should do a SYOT, which I do want to do but not until after I get a few stories completed. :D Seven are in progress right now *I'm updating a Christmas one once a year for Twilight*, but after that I'd love to write a SYOT. Don't worry I'll get there after some time. :D Thank you everyone!)**

Anger courses through my veins, there's a roaring in my ears and I can't think logically. The anger makes my body shake as I walk down the hallway to find Odysseus-or someone. Someone's going to talk to me about this and someone will pay. Odysseus walks out into the hallway and when he sees me he smiles a wide smile. My father walks out behind him and stops talking. They both stare at me and I feel Alwin stop behind me, I didn't even notice that he was following me. I shake my head a little and I let the hot angry tears roll down my cheeks. Looking down for a second I try to think about how I should ask them about what has happened, but the only thing that comes to my mind is yelling and screaming. How could they do this? Maybe Hector heard wrong, but you know that he didn't. They are as evil as the Capitol, maybe even more evil. My head starts to hurt and I put my head in my hands, all of the voices are yelling out different things and I can't take it. Alwin's arms wrap around me and I look up at my father.

"Why did they do it? She was alive. Ashlee was still breathing and there was still brain activity," I whisper and the two of them just stare at me. I can see it in their eyes that they know, but they don't seem to know what to say or do. Shaking my head I lean back into Alwin, thankful for him to be here to support me or else I'd be laying on the floor. "They killed her. Everyone says how wrong the Capitol is, but they don't think that its wrong to kill Ashlee? She could have helped with the rebellion-"

"They saw her dying in a few days time and they didn't expect for you to hear about it yet. Acacia, she died to save others and the rebellion's more important," Odysseus says to me in a light voice. I stare at him and I feel like someone just slapped me across the face. The rebellion's more important than Ashlee? She was a tribute in the Hunger Games and she's a fighter. They killed someone who could have helped us in the rebellion. "They'll regret this and I'll make sure of that. Don't they still want a rebellion? Find a new Jabberjay."

Everyone stares at me as though I spoke in a different language, but I don't care anymore. I'm done with the games and they just crossed the line. My father takes a step toward me and he takes my hand in his. I look into his eyes and see the pain in them. "Aca, you have to listen to me. I know that Ashlee dying hurts you, but you have to help with the rebellion. What would Ashlee do?"

"Oh, you don't want me to answer that question. Ashlee would be kicking people's asses if they killed me," I say through gritted teeth. Everyone just stands there staring at me. They all probably think that I'm acting this way because of the baby, but they'll see how serious I am soon. "Don't you understand? I'm sick of the games and I'm not going to keep playing. Now, before I go get something to eat is there anything else that I should know?"

Nobody utters a word and I pull away from Alwin. He follows me down the hallway and I walk into the cafeteria, which is now filled with people. Alwin tells me to go sit down, that he'll get me my food and I just give a small nod of my head. This cannot be happening. They expect me to go on with the rebellion after they did that? Why should I fight for them to be in charge when they don't even see the value of Ashlee's life? I put my head in my hands and I don't look up until I see a girl sit down beside me...

"Hi," she says in a light voice and my jaw drops open. The girl has the same eyes as Ashlee, but her hair is long and red. She gives me a kind smile and I just stare at her in shock. "I'm Kym."

"I'm...Acacia..." I stare at her in shock and she just continues to smile at me. She sits beside me, waiting patiently for me to get over the shock. "Who are you?"

"Kym Dixon, Ashlee's younger sister," she whispers to me and I just stare at her. Her eyes have a sadness in them and I know that she knows about Ashlee's death, but does she know everything? Probably not... "She was a year and a half older than me. I was left in our District to help with the rebellion, but...the Capitol tried to blow us all up. Only a few of us got away..."

I look down for a second and feel my eyes filling up with tears. "Are you the last one in your family? Did anyone else make it out?"

"No, it was just...us at the end,"says Kym. She looks down and clears her throat. Tears start to pour out of her eyes and they slowly roll down her cheeks. "We had a younger brother and I had...a fiancee."

"What happened to them?" She looks over at me and I see the same determination in them that I saw in Ashlee's. I stare at her as she takes a deep breath. "Did they just...die?"

She gives a small nod of her head. "After Ashlee left for the Hunger Games...Davy got sick and he...died the day that all of you went into the arena. Trace...he didn't die until the bombings began, but he made sure that I got out. He got electrocuted by the fence, but some how he...got it up enough so that we could pass under it. I'll never forget what he looked like after he died. I was hoping that Ash was still alive and I had my hopes high."

"She was brave and smart," I whisper to her and she smiles at me. Kym pats me on the arm and smiles a small smile at me, a smile full of pride and I can see how proud she is of her sister. "I wish that there was something that I could have done to help her."

"Ashlee always said that she would do anything to help a rebellion and she did. My sister did things that I only wish that I was strong enough to do." Kym smiles at me and I watch the tears roll down her cheeks. She stands up and shakes her head a little. "Sorry, it was nice meeting you. I'll see you around."

Kym leaves before I can say anything back to her and I feel even more angry now. They took the last person away from her that she had left, the last person who she loved. Alwin sits down beside me and I start to eat. I will make them pay for what they did to Ashlee and Kym, but first I should help with the rebellion. Maybe I should make a few rules?

**Woohoo! Done! Okay, sad chapter-sorry! What did you think? Did you like it? I hope that everyone did! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting, she just started her new story and all of her stories are enchanting. :D So go check out her stories and you'll fall in love. :D )**


	18. Chapter 18: Seeing Everyone

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! New chapter time! :D I hope that everyone likes the story so far and that all of you like what is to come. :D Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter! :D**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Check out my AWESOME Beta Beth's stories. It-Was-Enchanting. They are all amazing and she has four stories so far. You'll be addicted from the first word, I promise you that. :D )**

Odysseus is following me around like an anal person and its driving me insane. I think that him and Alwin made a plan about one of them watching me while the other ones busy. My dad comes walking up to me while I'm storming down the hallway, he stops me and I glare at him. He tries to smile at me, but I know that he's still upset about Ashlee too. Everyone's going to know that I'm not happy about this and I intend to show my anger. Slowly I start to walk again, but they corner me now. I glare at them and wonder if I'm angry enough to take them both down, but then I think about the baby. Could I hurt the baby if I do something to them? Maybe not, I mean the baby's survived through everything else. Crossing my arms I glare at the two of them.

"What do you two want?" I hiss at the two of them. My dad stares at me and I know that by the look that he's giving me that I'm going to have to listen to them no matter what. Rolling my eyes I wait for one of them to speak up, but neither of them do. "What is it?"

"You better calm down or else Ashlee won't be the only one who dies. Right now you are putting everyone that you love in jeopardy and yourself," my dad says to me in an urgent voice. I shake my head a little and he stares at me more intently. "Aca, you have to listen to me and you have to help with the rebellion, we've worked too hard for this. If you start acting like you don't want the rebellion that means that you aren't an asset to them-"

I start laughing, a dark and hard laugh. "They think that _they_ should be in charge of Panem? Dad, do you really want them to be in charge? There's no way that I'm letting any of them be in charge."

"Acacia, you have to stop talking like this or they will destroy you or they'll put you away until after the rebellion. Is that what you want?" Odysseus asks me and I act like I'm thinking about it for a minute. His face starts to turn red and I shake my head a little. "Start acting like you value your life and do what they tell you to do. What happened with Ashlee was something that was done by a doctor and they thought that they should put her out of her misery sooner rather then later."

"Oh yes! Dead is better then living with a little pain," I mumble and he glares at me. I don't care anymore, all of these people see me as just a piece that they are waiting to play and I'm not going to just be played. My father even wants me to allow them to play me. "Fine, I'll be their little King's piece in chess-but remember something, they are just using me and once they are done with me..."

I push past the two of them and walk down the hallway, not really thinking about where I'm going. Someone walks into me-or I walk into them, when I look down I see my little sister staring up at me. Dula, my little Dula. Tears pour out from my eyes and I think about how I have to protect her. Her arms wrap around my waist and she hugs me. My arms wrap around her and when she lets go of me, I drop down to my knees. She smiles at me and wraps her arms around my waist.

"Dula..." I whisper and she smiles at me. My arms stay wrapped around her and I kiss her on the top of her head. This is the first time that I've seen her since I returned. I didn't have enough time to run around and find them, but now I've seen Dula. "Where's everyone else?"

"Their in our apartment. Are you coming with me?" I nod my head and get up off of my knees. She starts pulling me down the hallway and I can't help but smile. I haven't seen my family since before I went into the Hunger Games again. Are they all still alive? Are they all okay? My heart starts pounding as my little sister drags me towards a stair case, leading down. "Everyone's been worried about you and no one will tell us anything! Odysseus has been nice to us and talking, but mommy seems to not like him that much."

I look down at her and think about telling her about Odysseus being out uncle, but I don't know if its a smart thing to do. "Dula, has mom told you anything about Odysseus?"

"No, all that she's told any of us is to stay away from him. Mommy says that he's dangerous," says Dula in a soft voice and I watch as her two braids bounce up and down. "I don't think that he's dangerous or anything. Last week he gave me a teddy bear and I named it Ody."

A smile forms on my lips as she pulls me down onto another landing. I look around and realize that this is the same floor that I'm on. Does Alwin know that my family is on this floor as well? Probably not or else he would have told me. Wouldn't he?"

I clear my throat and try not to think about Alwin's family. He only has his mom and grandmother. "Do you know about Alwin's family?"

"Both of them are still alive. His mommy's in charge of the rebellion."

"What?" I stop walking and breathing. Dula stares at me with wide eyes and waits for me to say or do something. "You mean she...no..."

"Dula! Dula, where are you?" Mio's voice calls out and I smile a wide smile. "It was your turn to watch her! Wait until mom finds out that you lost her."

"It was your turn!" Nia's voice rings out and I shake my head. Mio has never been really good at watching Dula, so I'm guessing that it was his turn. "Maybe if you weren't flirting with Jenni-"

"You were flirting with Lui!" They walk into view and they stop dead in their tracks. Neither of them know what to do and I just enjoy seeing them both again. "Aca?"

**WOOHOO! Done with this chapter and going onto the next. I'm really having fun writing this story and I hope that everyone likes it so far. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. :D **


	19. Chapter 19: A Family Reunion

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! New chapter time! I really like this chapter and I hope that all of you do too. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. This story means a lot to me and I'm sad that I'm on the last one, but I'm happy at the same time.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my AWESOME Beta Beth, check out her stories! *It-Was-Enchanting* I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her stories and I'm sure that all of you will too. She's an awesome writer and I can't get enough of her stories.) :D **

The two of them slowly walk towards me and the next thing that I know both of them are hugging me. I wrap my arms around them and feel like I'm finally at him. Nia looks into my eyes and I see the tears pouring out of her's. Mio tries to act tough, but I can see the tears swelling up in his eyes. Both of them have grown so much, they look more mature and I know that they must have taken up more responsibilities after I left. They both look down at little Dula and I can sense what is coming. Slowly I take her hand in mine and she starts to lead me towards a door, with the other two following behind us. When she pushes the door open, I'm shocked by what I see...my mom sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. She's mumbling something, but I don't know what. When her eyes come up to meet mine, I see a fear in them disappear and she runs at me. Her arms wrap around me and she hugs me tightly to her. After what seems like forever she lets go of me and I can breath again. She still has a crazed look in her eyes and she looks around at the four of us. Tears fill her eyes and they threaten to pour over.

"Acacia...you're finally home," she whispers and I nod my head a little bit. She pats my hand and takes Dula's hand, she leads her over to the couch and has her sit down. I watch as my mother brushes through Dula's hair, carefully. "That's all of us now and I don't want you doing anything-"

"Mom, dad's home too. He came home with me." Everyone looks at me as though I've lost my mind and maybe I have, but I know that my father being here is real. My mom stands up and walks over to me, her eyes are wide and I can see the disbelief in them. Anger is coursing through me and I feel myself starting to break. My mother lied to all of us about our uncle and now what is she going to do? Will she push away from me? Will she say that I'm not her daughter anymore? Am I dead to her now too? Because I'm more like him than she would ever believe."Do you want to go see him? He's with _our_ Uncle Odysseus right now. I'm sure that dad can't wait to see you again, do you feel the same way?"

She just stares at me, obviously in shock. I can see the fear in her eyes, the fear of what has become of my father-of her husband. "Hale...Aca, you're father is dead. Please listen to me. He has been dead...for many years and whatever they did to you in the Capitol makes you think-"

"He's alive! Mom, he's alive!" Everyone's still staring at me and I can see the fear in my mother's eyes. I know how she is, she's probably trying to find the perfect way to get someone in here to sedate me, but it doesn't matter because I know the truth. "Don't you want to see him again? He still loves you and-"

"Acacia! Enough of this nonsense! You are putting crazy ideas into your younger siblings minds," says my mother through gritted teeth. My angers starting to build up again and I feel like I'm about to explode. Dula walks over to me and takes my hand in her's. "Don't you think that I want your father to be alive? I love him and it kills me to know that he'll never come back. I gave up everything to be with him and I'd never take that back-"

"Then believe in what your daughter is telling you!" Tears are falling down both of our cheeks and I feel myself aching to have Alwin next to me. I'm too weak to handle anything on my own anymore, I need him. A light knock on the door has me flying to the door, hoping that its Alwin, but its not. "Dad..."

My father walks in with a wide smile on his lips and with his brother behind him. I smile as I look over at the others, who are standing there in shock. "Hello...Grilda."

"Ha-Hale?" My mom stares at him as though she's seeing a ghost and the next thing that I know she's laying on the floor. I watch as my dad walks over to her and picks her up. Everyone stares at him and he carries my mom over to the couch, he puts her down and turns to look at us.

"Daddy?" Dula's little voice is full of happiness as she runs at him. He picks her up and she kisses him on the cheek. My dad looks down at her as though she's the best gift that he's ever gotten in his life. She hugs him and he kisses her on the forehead. Tears start to roll down my fathers cheeks. "You're really here."

"And I'm here to stay." He puts Dula down and the other two stare at him, still in shock. When he pulls Nia into a hug, she starts to cry and he rubs her back. Mio just stares at him as though he doesn't know what to do. "Mio, come here. You've grown into a young man."

We all sit down around the small kitchen table and I hold Dula close to me. My dad tells the others about what happened to him, why he went into the Capitol, how he got out and what's going to happen now. He promises that all of us are going to live through it, but I know that might be too big of a promise for him to make. Uncle Odysseus sits there and stays quiet through the whole thing, until it comes to him. Everyone's eyes turn to him and he just shrugs a little, making me smile.

"This is your Uncle Odysseus," my father says to the others and I smile a little. I can remember when I first found out and how shocked I was. Of course he was more shocked when he found out that I knew. "Do any of you have any questions? If you do, we can answer them right now."

Little Dula stands up and walks over to Odysseus. He stares at her and she smiles at him. A second later she has her arms wrapped around him and she's hugging him. The expression on his face is of shock, but he smiles and hugs her back. When Dula pulls away, she stares up at him with big eyes and smiles.

Dula's smiles are always special and she's loveable. "Welcome to the family, Uncle Odysseus."

**WOOHOO! I had a lot of fun with that chapter and I thought that I should bring the whole family together. What did you think? Thank you for reading and please leave a review. :D **


	20. Chapter 20: She's Back

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! It's update time and I really like the way that this chapter turned out-I hope that you do too. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. This story means a lot to me and I'm so happy that I got to keep going until this one. Sadly this is the last story for Acacia, so its bittersweet for me. I've been writing Acacia since I first got on here and it'll be sad for me to stop writing about her, but its a good thing at the same time because I finished all three of the stories, like I always wanted to. So thank you to all of you who are reading and supporting me with this story. (My AWESOME Beta Beth did not get to Beta for this chapter, sorry for any mistakes. She'll be bombarded with my mistakes again soon. Haha! :D )**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**Happy Birthday to Beth and Sophie on April 18th! Mockingjay272 on April 22ed! Happy Birthday! Hope that all of you have great birthdays!**

I sit forward a little and rub my bloated belly. Yes, I'm going on five months and my stomach looks like a bloated frog. Ribbet, ribbet. Shaking my head I lean back into the pillows. Dr. Gentry put me on bed rest for a week, he said that it had something to do with making sure not to put too much of a strain on the baby. Hell, if the baby survived the arena that has to be one tough kid in there. My eyes flicker up to the clock and I smile a little. Alwin ran off to get me something to eat and tonight my family is coming over to see me for a little while. As the Jabberjay I get to eat anywhere that I want to since I'm pregnant. My hand rubs my belly and I feel something. I stop breathing and my hand stops moving. Slowly I start moving my fingers over my stomach and it happens again. Was that...a kick?

The door opens and in walks Alwin. Tears start to pour down my cheeks as he shuts the door, he turns to me with a smile on his lips and when his eyes land on me his smile falters. He's by my side seconds later and I smile through the tears. Our baby just kicked! The baby's moving! I nod my head a little and he stares at me, not understanding. Small sobs start to escape from my lips and I start running my fingers across my stomach again, the baby kicks. More tears roll down my cheeks, each time the baby kicks. Alwin's eyes stay on me and I take his hand in mine. When I put his hand on my stomach he looks at me with wide eyes and I start moving his hand around on my belly, the baby kicks. His eyes go wide and he smiles at me.

"The baby...our baby is..." he trails off and stares at my stomach in amazement. We smile at each other and his lips press against mine. I start laughing and when he looks at me again, we both smile even wider. "This is really happening. Our baby is..."

"Moving," I say with a wide smile on my lips. I start laughing and the tears keep rolling down my cheeks. After everything that has happened our baby can always make me smile. The baby that wasn't supposed to survived, has survived. "I love you both so much..."

He smiles at me and starts running his fingers over my belly again, the baby keeps kicking. We both start laughing and he brushes the tears away as they continue to fall. Alwin's lips press against my cheek and I intertwine my fingers through his. I shake my head a little in disbelief, just happy that all of this is happening. This is one kid who won't be knocked down-no matter what, I can already tell that much. I sit up a little more and I look at the plate sitting on the counter. My mouth starts to water and Alwin looks behind him, with a light chuckle he stands up and walks over to get me my food. When he comes back, he sits down on the floor and keeps touching my belly.

"Should we start talking about names?" Alwin's fingers dance across my stomach and I can't help but smile. The baby stopped kicking, but the baby still kicked and that's something that we'll never forget. I smile at him and shrug a little. "Do you have any ideas?"

I shake my head and he smiles at me as I finish my food. "Let's wait until the baby comes. We don't even know if the baby is a boy or girl. But...I feel like its a girl."

"A little girl, huh? Do you love your mommy and daddy?" whispers Alwin and the baby kicks in response. We both stare at my stomach with wide grins on our lips. I start crying again and Alwin holds my hand. "Are you a little girl? Is your mommy right?"

A small gasp escapes from my lips when the baby kicks. My hand flies up to my mouth and I start crying again. This is one of the only parts that I hate about being pregnant, I'm so emotional and just about anything sets me off. Why can't I just sit here and smile? I know that the tears are out of happiness, but I'm sick of crying. Our little baby is kicking! I smile at Alwin and he kisses me, his lips softly brush against mine. I shake my head a little and he smiles at me. We both keep one hand on my belly. My fingers run through his hair and we start kissing again. Slowly I push myself farther up against him and I feel the _hunger_ for something.

Our lips move together eagerly and neither of us seems to want to stop, that is until a knock on the door makes Alwin get to his feet. He chuckles and kisses me on the forehead, before he walks to see who's at the door. I lay here and pout as he walks away from me. Why do people have to barge in like this? My eyes go down to my stomach as I draw shapes on it with my fingers, but my eyes snap up when I hear her voice.

"Alyssa?" I gasp as she walks into the room and she smiles at me. My eyes take her in, but I don't really believe what I'm seeing. She's alive. "You're...really here..."

She nods her head and sits down next to me on the floor. Her smile is wide and she touches my stomach. "Yeah, I'm really here and they say that Ashlee's the reason why I am. Do you know where she is? I want to thank her so badly and no one will tell me anything. I mean, she has to be around here some where and I don't see why we should put this off. She saved me and I need to thank her right now-"

"Ashlee's dead. They killed her," I say in a light voice. More tears threaten to pour out down my cheeks and I see the shock on Aly's face. She stares at me in shock and she starts shaking her head, as if she doesn't believe me. "She died once...after she gave them something that would save you and they brought her back. But they obviously saw it fit for them to be like the Capitol and kill her. Of course you can see why I want to fight for them to take over the Capitol, can't you? Yeah, they can go on a killing spree-"

"Shh...it's okay Ace, calm down. The baby's just making your emotions go wild." Alwin's beside me now and his fingers are brushing through my hair. I can see the urgency in his eyes and I know that I'm not doing anything to help us and our families. Even though I'm married to Alwin I know that his mother wouldn't hesitate to kill me in a second. "Just lay here and relax. You know that what happened with Ashlee was an accident and they weren't trying to kill her. Everything will be okay..."

I nod my head slowly and I know why he's doing this. He's doing this for me and the baby. Looking at him I can tell that he's not happy about Ashlee's death either, but I want to do something about it. After the rebellion I will get my revenge, but it looks like I'll have to bottle that anger up and lock it away until then. Locking anger away is never good for me, because when I unlock it...those people better watch out. Nodding his head he stands up and kisses me again. My eyes stay on him as he walks back towards the door, where there's a a small plate with some bread on it. More bread? I feel like they have too much bread and they're thinking, oh let's give it to the pregnant girl! She'll eat anything!

"I'll be back later. Eat this if you feel hungry," says Alwin as he bends down to kiss me one last time. He smiles at Alyssa who has her eyes on my stomach. "You two have fun and make sure that she stays down, okay Aly?"

Alyssa nods her head and we both watch as Alwin walks out the front door. The second that the door closes she smiles at me and touches my stomach. Her eyes are full of wonder as she stares at me for a few minutes. I smile at her and wonder if she's seen Ethan.

"You got the good one. Of course you already know that," she says with a small smile. I nod my head a little, but my minds on her now. After I got back from the Capitol I never checked if any of her family was still alive. "Have you seen your family? Mio seems pretty taken with these two girls. All of them are growing up pretty fast, of course-who isn't now? We all have to adjust."

I nod my head a little and decide to start with her family, hoping that they are all okay. "How's your family? Did they survive...everything?"

"Luis is the only one that I have left and now I have to make decisions for him." She looks down at her fingers and I see tears starting to fall out of her eyes. My hand reaches out for her's and she looks up at me. "I saw my mom die and I'll never forget that. Dad got a quicker death, he was blown up. What am I supposed to do? When I decided to help with the rebellion I made sure that Luis had someone to take care of him, your mother. But...now what?"

"You'll do fine. Aly, he's six." She nods her head, but seconds later she's almost pulling her hair out. "Look at me for a minute. Alyssa, you have people who are standing behind you and who will help you. Do you think that I'm not scared of having this baby? I'm terrified, but I know that I can do it and if I can do it, so can you."

She shakes her head a little and looks at my stomach. "But there's two differences. One, you have your family. Two, you have Alwin."

"My family is your family too, you know that. It might not be the same, but we are something." We smile at each other and she looks down at her fingers again. "I might have Alwin, but you have Ethan. He'll stand beside you."

"I don't have Ethan," whispers Alyssa. "Not anymore..."

Before I can ask what she means a shrieking alarm goes off. Alyssa helps me up and we walk out into the hallway. Everyone's scrambling left and right, not knowing what's going on. Panic is starting to take over with everyone. The fear of not knowing what's going on.

**DONE! :D What did you think? Like it? Okay, I know horrible spot to leave off at but I had to. I won't be updating again until April 29th, I'm going on a trip. :D WOOHOO! Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**


	21. Chapter 21: Trail of Blood

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! I'm backkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! Who missed me? :D Haha, well I had a great time on my trip but I'm happy to be back and doing what I love-WRITING! Sorry about the small cliffie on the last chapter, hopefully this one doesn't have anything like that...*evil grin*. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Thank you to everyone who's supported this story in anyway from the beginning or if you just found it, really this story holds a special place in my heart and I love it with all my heart. Thank you for letting me share this story with you and for letting me know that you like it.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my BRILLIANT Beta Beth! It-Was Enchanting is her name on here and she is an AMAZING writer! Check out her stories! *In her story, The Harder They Fall...I have two tributes...Keela and Mark, if you want to you can go and sponsor them. :D That wouldn't make me upset at all. Haha! This isn't cheating is it? I'm just letting people know about an AMAZING story, which just so happens to have two of my tributes in it... ;) *)**

Alyssa pulls me down the hallway and we find my dad trying to usher everyone to the right area. Odysseus is standing next to him, trying to do the same thing-but failing. They both look frustrated, but when they see me they look worried. I touch my belly as my dad grabs onto my arm and starts to lead me down a hallway. He pushes us onto an elevator and the last thing that I see before the elevator closes is Beth throwing a knife at someone. My heart is pounding and that's when everything clicks in my mind. We are under attack. Everyone's fighting for the rebellion, except for me. We could easily loose everything in the blink of an eye.

I feel my heart pounding as the elevator doors open and she pulls me out into a large hallway. A man smiles at us and when he sees me, the smile fades. Quickly he grabs my arm and pulls me down the hallway, to a large room with two large doors. He ushers me inside, but I stop. My mind is full of questions, of request-but they don't let me get them out. The next thing that I know I'm in the room and looking around. The light is dim and there aren't that many people in here. Alyssa pulls me farther into the room and I see about twenty people down here, not many. I don't see any of my family, Alwin, Beth, Alwin, Sophie, Alwin, Lillian, Alwin...

"Where is everyone else?" I stop walking, but Alyssa tries to pull me forward. She stops after a few minutes and lets out a sigh. Looking around the room I feel tears about to pour out down my cheeks. My body is shaking and I want to run back out to the elevator and back up to the others. Why should they be risking their lives and not me? Am I more important then they are? "I'm not more important..."

"Aca...you have to stay down here, okay? You have to live," whispers Alyssa. I can see the fear in her eyes. We both know that she can't stop me, not on her own at least. She reaches a hand out towards me and touches my arm. "Please, don't do this. If you die...I can't loose my sister."

My eyes stay locked with hers and I have a hard time breathing. Tears are filling in her eyes and I know that they mirror mine. "Aly...I'm sorry..."

Pulling my arm out of her grasp I run towards the doors and out back into the hallway. I can hear her right behind me and I know that I have to get onto the elevator before she catches up with me. My heart is beating wildly as my eyes land on a closing door, all that I can do is try to reach it and get the doors to close before Alyssa catches up with me. Running as fast as I can I jump into the elevator and let out a deep breath as the doors close. The look on Alyssa's face breaks my heart, but I couldn't let her get me. My back touches the wall of the elevator as it carries me up, back to the fighting and I try to breath normally.

The doors open and I see Beth on the ground. A man is standing over her and I run out of the elevator. Looking around I see a knife lodged in a man's stomach, I pull it out and throw it at the man. It sticks right where his heart is, but not before his knife pierces Beth's skin. She lets out a small scream and the man falls over. Beth rolls over onto her stomach and just lays there. Fear courses through me as I pick up a few other knifes and make my way towards her. A knife comes at me, but I duck and it lodges into a woman's back. The woman continues to fight-some how.

"ACE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?" His voice, his beautiful voice. I don't turn to see him, my eyes are on Beth and I know that I have to get to her. Someone steps in front of me and holds me to him. "YOU HAVE TO GET BACK INSIDE! WE CAN'T RISK LOOSING YOU! SHIT!"

I look behind him and see a knife coming at him. Quickly I pull him out of the way and the knife shoots past us. Alwin turns around and starts ushering me the other way. My eyes stay on Beth and I watch as Sophie drops to her knees. She picks up her sisters head and smiles a small smile. Beth stands up and Sophie throws a knife at a tall man. My eyes scan around us and I don't see my family. Where can they be? Are they some where else? Where else can they be? This is all too confusing for me.

"Take the elevator back down," hisses Alwin. I look back out and see Ethan fighting, hard. His sword slashes through a woman's throat and she drops to the ground. My grip tightens on Alwin's arm as I try to look away. There's a buzzing in my ears, I feel like I'm about to puke and pass out. "Ace? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

But I don't have the chance to tell him. I fall into him and I try to fight the blackness eating at my vision, but I can't. My eyes shut and the buzzing gets even worse. I'm trapped in darkness and the buzzing is the only thing that I can hear. There's a small fire in front of me, but I can't get to it.

_My eyes flicker open and I welcome the light. The light is blinding, but I welcome it, but at the same time I try to shy away from it. I close my eyes for a minute and re-open them. Carefully I sit up and see that the light is coming from every direction. Looking down at the ground I see that its just plain white. My legs feel like jelly as I try to stand up and I stumble forward. After a few minutes I still don't know where I am. The light burns into my skin and I look down at the floor. There's blood..._

_Horror courses through me as I stumble forward, towards the even brighter light. My eyes stay on the ground as I keep walking, I keep following the trail of blood. With each step my heart beats even faster, with each heart beat the brighter the light becomes, the brighter the light the louder the buzzing becomes. My knees give and I collapse onto the ground. Tears pour down my cheeks and I look down at the pool of blood underneath me. All that I can see and smell is blood. The rusty smell clogs my nostrils and I try not to breath. I feel like I'm drowning in the blood. _

_I look back down and notice that the bloods coming from a body. The body is right next to me...the body belongs to-no! This cannot be happening! My eyes flicker to the wedding band on his finger and a sob escapes from my lips. There's something in his arms...someone..._

**AND DONE! :D Okay, do not ask me where the ending came from. I did not even know that she was going to pass out. What did you think? :D Who do you think the man is? Could it be...? It might not be who you are thinking it is. Haha! Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**

**Hm...a few questions:  
1) Alwin or Ethan?  
2) Alyssa or Lillian?  
3) Dula or Ashlee?  
4) Acacia or Alwin?  
5) Ethan and Alyssa or Acacia and Alwin?  
Song that reminds you of Acacia and Alwin? A song that reminds you of Alyssa and Ethan? Haha! Anymore that you can think of too for any of the characters-I'd love to hear them! **

**(Remember to check out It-Was-Enchanting! You'll be sorry if you don't...) :D **


	22. Chapter 22: Everything Falls

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! It's update time and I'm excited for all of you to read this chapter! :D Thank you for reading, the reviews and everything else. I love this story and I'm even shocked by some of the twist that pop up in here, but I hope that all of you can see how much I love this story and that all of you love it as much as I do. :D **

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my BRILLIANT Beta Beth! She is AWESOME and for some reason she puts up with me, my mistakes and did I mention me? Haha! Thank you Beth! You're one of my best friends on here and I'm so glad that you found me on here!)**

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta-(First off I LOVE your name!) :) Thank you for supporting me on this story and for sponsoring Keela in The Harder They Fall! :D *Since you don't have an account on here, you can get my e-mail from my profile if you want a sneak peek-you'll see at the bottom.***

**(I hurt my ankle :( , leave reviews? :D That would make me feel better.)**

_Pain, that's the only thing that I can feel. There is nothing that I can do to get away from it, nothing. Tears are falling down my cheeks and mixing with the blood. Blood, the smell is making it hard for me to breath and I can't get up. I look down at the blood and watch as it moves around in circles. Slowly I push myself back, trying to move, but I end up falling against the floor. There's a small splash, making my breath catch in my throat. Horror courses through me as I look down at the ground, the blood is surrounding me and its rising by the second. Closing my eyes, I put my palms against the cold floor and I push myself up. A small gasp escapes from my lips when I open my eyes and I make the mistake of looking down at my hands, which are covered in their blood. I take a deep breath, before I move toward the two of them and I check their pulse. They've alive._

_Hope starts to course through me, but the light turns off and I'm left here in the dark, alone. The blood is cold and chilling, making my stomach churn. I close my eyes and try to forget about everything, but quickly wish that I hadn't. My eyes flicker open as I fall back, into the blood, but even when my head is under the blood-I keep falling. I open my mouth and blood rushes into my mouth, chocking me. Frantic, I start kicking, but I keep falling and I feel like I'm drowning. The pain in my head gets worse as I sink and I have no way to stop myself from falling, from drowning. Voices are filling my head. No matter how badly I want to make it to the voices, I can't. Here I have no control over anything._

"_Do you think she'll be okay? I...I don't understand what happened." His voice is soft and light. I try to cling to his voice, but it sounds so far away. Hell, I'd try to cling to my worst enemies voice right now just to know that I'm close to something. "What do you mean you don't know? You are the a doctor, aren't you? She can't just lay here like this!"  
_

I take a deep breath and feel the rush of oxygen into my lungs. Too much oxygen, I start to choke and my eyes flicker open. People are surrounding me, talking fast and checking all of the machines that I'm hooked up to. My eyes catch the eyes of Dr. Gentry, who smiles a sad smile at me, while he gives orders. Panic starts to course through me, where's Alwin? When I try to sit up, everyone pushes me back down and I look around the room the best that I can, but I don't see him.

"Alwin. Where is he?" I look frantically at all of people around me, but they all ignore me. Tears are building up in my eyes as I think about all of the blood and that brings two other people to the front of my mind. "Dad-where is he? Where's Alyssa?"

When no one answers me I start thrashing around, which throws all of them off. Seconds later, I'm tied down and they are forcing more tubes into me. I lay back, not knowing what else to do and I allow one tear to fall down my cheek. They won't stop and tell me what's going on, not until they are done. I'll wait and I'll get my answers-hopefully. All of them are still tense, anticipating my next attempt at getting free, but I make none. One thing that I learned from being in the Capitol? Being still and cooperating makes some things less painful, and end quicker. They all jabber on and on, but I don't hear their words.

"Mrs. Coin, you have to get some rest. I'll be back in half an hour to check on you," says Dr. Gentry, with a small smile. He walks away, before I have the chance to ask him any questions. All of them rush off in different directions, some of them look back at me with a sad expression. What's going on? Why can't someone tell me? "Janile, stay with Acacia-will you? I think that she might need some company."

"Hi," a light voice says. I look up and see a small girl with long blonde hair, which flows down past her waist and flows like the river. She smiles at me and I smile a little when I see her bright green eyes. My eyes stay on her as she sits down on a chair next to me. "You have a visitor, would you like to see him?"

"Yes! Please!" I say in a frantic voice. She gives a quick nod of her head and leaves me for a minute. My heart is beating fast and I just want to see him, to hear him say my name. When I see a cold pair of brown eyes and I gasp a little. He has a cut right under his eye. "Ethan..."

"Aca, are you okay? No one knows what happened..." His tone tells me that somethings wrong, but I know that he isn't allowed to tell me. "Everything will be okay, do you understand me? Don't ever try to do anything like that again! You almost got..."

"What? I almost got what?" He looks down. Anger hits me and I want to slap him, make him tell me. My fingers reach out for him and I take his hand, but so that I can squeeze his fingers, tight. "What happened? You have to tell me! Don't you understand keeping me in the dark is what gets us into these situations?"

He looks down and takes a deep breath. "When...when you blacked out, someone threw a knife at you. Alyssa and your father jumped in front of you. They...he took a knife right under his heart and Alyssa...she. Just promise me that you won't do anything like that ever again! Please? Just promise me that!"

"What happened to Alyssa?" My voice cracks and he looks down. His eyes are red, its obvious that he's been crying and I don't know why. "She's not...she can't be dead. No, what happened to her? You have to tell me, please! Ethan? Tell me what's going on!"

"She...took a bullet for you. They don't know what's going to happen to her," whispers Ethan. My heart skips a beat and I think about Alyssa, all that she's been trying to do is save me and I put myself in danger. "On a positive note, your family is okay and Beth is expected to make a full recovery. They almost got Sophie, but some guy wouldn't let them take her and she fought extremely well."

"I'm sorry. All of this is my fault." He doesn't say anything, which makes me feel worse. Taking a deep breath I lay my head back against the pillow and try to think of a way to ask Ethan about Alwin. "Ethan? Do you know what happened to Alwin? Is he alive?"

"Yeah, he's alive." The way that he says it is in a weary tone. "He's fine, don't worry about him. Alwin was one of the lucky ones, only a few cuts and he might have had to lay down for a little while after they stitched him up-"

"Why do you always do that? You always act bitter whenever I bring Alwin up," I ask him in a slick voice. He just shakes his head a little and I look away from him. "Is it because I chose him over you? You know what? Alyssa still deserves better than yo-"

Ethan's head snaps up and our eyes lock. His eyes are an icy black, but he doesn't scare me. "Haven't you ever thought that I had a problem with him because everyone prefers him over me? Hell, even Alyssa does! When she woke up and saw me sitting next to her, she pushed away from me. She started screaming and had them take me out, but she let Alwin in to see her. How do you think that makes _me_feel?"

"You messed around with her and professed your love for me in front of all of the Districts. How do you think that made _her_feel?" I ask him, my voice is cold and icy, just like his. We stare at each other and both of us let out a breath. "Do you think that you deserve her now, just because you realized that you love her and not me? You have to grovel for her and I'll make sure that you do. She deserves better-"

The doors burst open and in walks Alwin, he smiles when he sees me, but when his eyes land on Ethan something appears on his face, guilt? Sorrow? I don't know what it is, but they both give a slight nod of their head. Alwin walks farther into the room and takes my hand in his. He smiles down at me, but there's something different in his smile and I know that Ethan left something out.

I let out a light, shaky breath. "What is it?"

"Alyssa just got out of surgery and they are saying that everything went good. Your dad is doing good and they have him all fixed up." We stare at each other and he shakes his head a little. I stare at him, until I feel him breaking and he lets out a light sigh. "Lillian is dead..."

"Are you sure? She..." He nods his head and I shake my head. How can she die now? Lillian is one of the strongest people that I've ever known and now she's just gone? But there's something else in his eyes, something that he doesn't want to tell me. "What else happened?"

"Ace, you might not be ready to hear this. Why don't we wait a few hours?" I shake my head and he takes a deep breath. His fingers intertwine with mine and I feel my heart racing. "Your mother...she's...dying."

"What else?" I feel myself breaking, but I need to know what else he's hiding from me. His eyes show the pain and that he's hiding something. "Please, Alwin?"

He looks down at our hands. "Ace...its about Dula..."

**OH. MY. GOD. I feel so evil for doing this, but I'm sorry! :( Hm...let's try something a little different. If you leave a review...I'll send you a sneak peek or I'll answer a question for you about something in the story? Sound good? :D Thank you for reading and remember please leave a review! See all of you next Friday! **


	23. Chapter 23: Little Dula

**Hey everyone! :D WOOHOO! UPDATE TIME! :D I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like this chapter. I know that the last chapter was really big and that it left off with something horrible-but the answer is in this chapter! :D Hm...hopefully all of you like the new chapter. Okay, thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Here's the new chapter for the last Acacia story in the series... :(**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(This chapter is un-Beta-ed, any mistakes are mine. Check out the AMAZING It-Was-Enchanting! :D )**

My whole body is shaking, my mind feels numb. Everything that happened yesterday is causing me to break and there's no way to stop it. I let out a shaky breath, trying to focus on something good, but right now it seems like nothing is good. Alwin sits next to me, holding my hand tightly and promising me that everything will be okay. The only words that are in my mind right now are, Dula, hurt, knife and will survive. A single tear falls down my cheek and I don't bother to stop it.

"Ace, its all going to be okay. Dula is okay," whispers Alwin. I look over at him and feel myself breaking even more. Would he lie to me? What if she is dead and everyone has sworn not to tell me? He's Alwin, my Alwin...would he lie to me about something like this? "You know that I can't lie to you and I love you. Please, listen to me? Believe in me? I'm here to protect you-"

"Which is why you would lie to me, mostly if you were worried enough. Alwin, you know that I love you and that I trust you." We stare at each other and I just shake my head a little. I know what I need and what I want, they are both the same thing. "Do you think that they'll let me see her? That's the only way that I'll be able to not worry about her and to be at ease with the whole thing. I need to see her..."

Alwin looks down and nods his head a little. "I don't know if they are going to let you see her, but I can ask. She looked fragile, but they said that she'll be fine. Last that I heard is that she should be back out on her feet in two days. Stay right here and I'll be right back."

I nod my head a little and he stands up. He kisses me on the forehead and leaves me, with one last look at me over his shoulder. Letting out a breath I try to pull myself up out of bed, but I fall back, my body can't support my weight and pain erupts across my body. A light sigh makes me jump and I look over to see _him_ sitting there, by a bed. Without looking I know who's laying in that bed.

"Did you really think that you were going to be able to just get out of bed and hobble around? Aca, you are really sad if you thought it was going to work." He lets out a sigh and walks over to me. I glare at him and feel the urge to punch him, but I don't. "I saw her earlier, trust Alwin...she's fine."

Slowly I nod my head and let out a sigh. "What about Aly? Is she okay? They were talking about her and they said something about her's being an extreme case..."

"She's going to be fine. They stitched her up and her levels are steady." His face is hidden by the darkness, but I can already tell what his expression is. Ethan has always been someone that I could read, at least at times and I can tell that he's worried about her. "I feel horrible for everything that I've done to her and I just want a fresh start with her. Alyssa won't ever forgive me, will she?"

"I don't know. She might." We stare at each other and I know that its probably going to take a lot from him to get her back. Alyssa is my best friend, but she doesn't take anyone's shit sitting down and he really screwed her over. "You'll have to fight for her and she won't let you get her easily. We both know how she is and she's still hurt about what you did to her. Fight for her."

Right at that moment Alwin walks back into the room and when he sees Ethan, he stiffens a bit. I smile at him as he walks farther into the room. My hands reach out to him and he helps me up. Alwin holds me tightly to him, while someone brings a wheelchair in. When I'm sitting down, Alwin pushes me out of the room, down the hall and through double doors. I hold my breath as he takes me to my sister, praying that she's in one piece. He pushes me into a room and I just stare at the person laying on the bed.

"Dula..." My hand reaches out to her when I'm beside her bed. Her long blonde hair, when her eyes flicker open I see her gray eyes, boring into mine. She lifts her hand and her fingers interlace with mine. I stare at my little sister, tears fall down my cheeks and I brush the hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Aca, I thought that you were..." She doesn't have to finish her sentence for me to know what she was going to say, because I thought the same thing about her. I stare at her, thankful that she is alive and I vow to protect her from everything from now on. "You still look pretty..."

I can't help but smile at that. Only my little sister would say that, while she's laying in bed and trying to heal. She squeezes my finger and closes her eyes. Alwin touches me on the shoulder and leaves the room. Carefully, I lift myself up and my sister moves over, so that I can lay down beside her. She smiles at me and I let her put her head on my shoulder, while I stare at her. Never did I think that I'd have to worry about her dying like this, well except for when her name was drawn for the Hunger Games.

"Everything will be okay, everything will be okay..." I whisper to her as she goes back to sleep. My little sister falls asleep and I just look at her. "Love you, Dula..."

I lay my head back and try to fall asleep. Knowing that she is alive helps me, but there's still so much more that we have to do. The baby is still growing and I know that I haven't been making the best choices, maybe I'll have to start being more careful or I might loose more people. My eyes close and I touch my belly, the baby kicks and I feel better. My baby...our baby...soon, I hope, I'll be able to see the baby and keep going with the rebellion. The rebellion has to come and quick, before we loose our power.

**I know, a shorter update. :( Sorry about that! I don't know if I'll have time to update anytime this week, so I hope that you liked it. :D Towards the end, I just wanted a happier ending so that I won't leave you with a huge cliffhanger or anything. :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**


	24. Chapter 24: I Can't Lose You

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! It's new chapter time and I hope that all of you like the story so far. What could I possibly have in store for this week? Hehe! I hope that all of you like this new chapter. Thank you all of you for all of the support and I'm really glad that I get to share this story with all of you. Okay, I should let you get onto the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(This chapter is un-Beta-ed, any mistakes are mine. My amazing Beta Beth is revising and I hope that she does well on her test! :D )**

**(First person to tell me what Rache means gets a sneak peek for next weeks? :D )**

Odysseus leads me down to a room that has a large table in the center of it, he watches me as I sit down and I look at the people around it. Everyone that I love is sitting around the table and a few people who I don't know. All of their eyes are on me and I have to look down at the table, because I can't stand having all of those eyes on me. I hear someone gasp and I look behind me, to see Alyssa standing in the doorway. She smiles at me, walks in and sits down beside me. I steal a glance at Ethan, who's mouth is open and he's staring at Alyssa like he's never seen anything more beautiful. Someone squeezes my hand and I look over at Alwin, who winks at me. My eyes drift over to Alyssa, who refuses to look at Ethan and she has this blank look in her eyes, as though she's trying to forget something.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to the first meeting everyone!" Ugh, I know that voice and I wish that it wasn't her who is speaking. Alwin's mother, Rache Elizabetha Coin. Her long sandy brown hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, making her cheeks look like a squirls who is stocking up nuts for the long winter. She walks farther into the room and her dull blue, almost gray eyes bore into mine. Mrs. Coin smiles at me and takes her seat. Her outfit is a light gray dress, with something black underneath-kind of like pants, oh well. Why should I care about what she wears? I don't care about fashion. "All of you know why you are here, so I don't have to explain that. Our symbol for the rebellion is in a...delicate state and we must wait until she gives birth to go on with the rebellion, but that does not mean that we are not going to rally and get others to join us. My son, Alwin, will be helping with this."

I look over at Alwin, my husband and he looks down. Did he know about this? Well, obviously he did! He looks guilty and I feel anger flaring up inside of me. She's doing this so that he becomes the face of the rebellion, because having her daughter-in-law being the Jabberjay is not good enough for her. No, it has to be her blood. If he wants to do this, that's fine, but he better not die. If he dies, so do I.

"When were you going to tell me about this?" The words are out of my mouth before I can think about what might happen because of them, but I don't care anymore. Everyone looks at me, but I only look at Alwin, my best friend, my baby's father, my _husband_. "When were you going to tell me, Alwin? Tomorrow? After you got back? You didn't tell me about this and I want to know why."

"Ace, it was obvious that I was going to step in for you while you were unable to do this. Isn't this what you want? If we don't do something the rebellion will simmer down and we will stay in the Capitol's clutches forever," says Alwin in a light voice. I shake my head and start laughing like a mad woman. Oh, this is great! Now my husband is trying to put something over on me! "I was going to tell you this morning, but I didn't get a chance to. Don't you want a better life for us and our unborn child?"

"Of course I do! _But_ I don't want my husband and the father of my baby going off to help with it! You might be killed and where does that leave me?" I ask him, tears fill my eyes and threaten to pour out. I try to push them back, but they start to fall down my cheeks. Alwin's arm wraps around me and I try to push away from him, but he doesn't allow that. "Why didn't you tell me? Before you agree to do something talk to _me_about it first, I can't take that as a surprise like this and it is a surprise to me."

He nods his head and looks down for a second, when he looks back up at me he smiles a small smile. "Ace, I'm sorry for not telling you, but I thought that you knew. I'll tell you anything else from here on out, no matter how unimportant it is, okay? My first priority is to protect you and our baby. Okay?"

I nod my head and wipe the tears away, angry at my hormones for coming out at the worst times. Everyone turns back to Mrs. Coin, who is now referring to herself as a soldier and half of the first in command. When she says half of the first in command, I see the anger that flashes in her eyes and I know that it was not her idea. She introduces my Uncle Odysseus as the other half as first in command. Neither of them look thrilled to have to work together and I can tell that they are already bumping heads. The two of them talk about different strategies and I notice that more people seem to be siding with Odysseus, which makes Coin get more angry and hostile. After what seems like days, they release us and I walk between Alwin and Alyssa.

"They told me that one day my luck is going to be up, so I should stop being a hero. I keep getting lucky with this stuff and I'm happy that you're alive," says Alyssa with a small smile on her lips. We stop in front of a door and she hugs me. "You're going to be okay and I'll always be here for you. I should tell you something though...I'm one of the soldiers who are accompanying Alwin on this little trip that's coming up in a few days."

"Why do you have to go? You just got out of the hospital and you still need to heal. Can't you stay here for a little while?" She gives a slight shake of her head and hugs Alwin, who smiles at her. I stare at her and shake my head a little. "You do have to stop being the hero sooner or later. Just promise me that you'll be safe? Both of you? I can't loose anyone else and I love the two of you so much."

Alyssa nods her head and smiles at me. "I love you too, sissy."

We smile at each other and she turns away, walking into the room behind her. Alwin walks with me down the hall to our room, where I sprawl out on the bed and he lays around me. I can't admit it to him, but I'm afraid of what is going to happen and who I'm going to loose. Here I am no idiot, people are going to die and I will be powerless, until after this baby comes out. Our baby, the same baby who is strong enough to fight through everything that we have been through and who is still giving me hope.

"I'll come back to you and the baby. I promise," whispers Alwin. My eyes flicker open and I stare at him for a minute. He leans forward and presses his lips to mine, once and softly. We smile at each other and he takes my hand in his. "Ace, I love you and will do anything for you. You know that nothing means more to me then you and the baby. Believe in me and know that I love you."

"I love you too," I whisper against his lips. He presses his lips to mine again and I sigh. Alwin's arms wrap around me and I snuggle into him, into his warmth. "You know that I trust you, but...when I first heard your mom say that you're going to be the face of the rebellion until I have the baby, it...scared me. I thought about loosing you and what I would do. Alwin...I can't live without you."

He hugs me tightly to him and kisses me on the top of my head. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep. But before I'm asleep I hear him whisper, "I fear the same thing too. I can't live without my Ace."

**WOOHOO! That is the end of this chapter and I hope that all of you enjoyed it. :D What will happen on the mission? Hm...we'll find out with the next few chapters! I'll see all of you again next week! Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review, I really love reading them and seeing people say that they like my stories. :D **


	25. Chapter 25: How Much Can I Lose?

**Hey everyone! Ohhh, its update time! :D This chapter took me a little while to write and I hope that everyone likes it. I hope that all of you like the story so far and I apologize for something that is planned for one of the next chapters-please don't hate me! Okay, I'll let you get to the update!**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Hi to my AWESOME Beta, Beth. She's busy-I hope everything's going good, but I hope that she's reading this. This chapter is un-Beta-ed. Any mistakes are mine.)**

**(****TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta-haha! Thank you so much for the review! I am really thankful for it and for all of the feedback. Hm...I read the description for it and I can get the book, see where it goes. :D If you want to you can tell me a little more about it, just a little more description and I can look into it. That one would not be up for a little while though, but I'll let you know by the end of one of my Hunger Games ones what I plan on doing. I'll look into the books though. :D )**

**(Check out Mockingjay272! She is an AMAZING writer on here and I Beta for her. She's going to be updating soon...I hope, no pressure. *Sad face* :D )**

Alwin runs around the track, while I sit here, just watching him. I want to be out there with him, running beside him and fighting along side him. My hand goes to my stomach, reminding me not to do anything that could harm our baby. The baby has been through enough and I can't chance the health of the baby anymore, or else one time I might not be so lucky. Shaking my head, I put my head in my hands and see Ethan coming towards me. He sits down beside me and that's when I see Alyssa running over to Alwin, the two of them smile as they start another lap, racing each other, pushing each other to do better. My eyes stay on the two of them, but Ethan's are on me and he lets out a sigh. He sighs whenever he wants to talk about something, that has to be one of the things that has always annoyed me about him.

"Aca, I'm worried about you and Alyssa. Can we talk?" I shake my head a little and try not to let my annoyance show. Yeah, we aren't on good terms, so why not come over here and try to talk to me? That makes a lot of sense! "Acacia, please? I really have to talk to someone and that someone is you. You want to make sure that Alwin comes back alive, don't you? I can help with that."

I look over at him in shock and he nods his head. "What are you talking about? You want to help bring Alwin back home to me? How could you possibly do that? I know you, which means that I know that there has to be something in it for you. So what do you want?"

"I'm going on the mission too, but I'm taking a break from training to talk to you. While I'm on the mission I will make sure that he does not get hurt or killed," he says all of this in a light voice. My eyes stay locked with his and I know that he definitely wants something in return. He'll be risking his own life for Alwin and that is too big for him not to want something in return. "What I want...is for you to make sure that Alyssa does not go on the mission. Acacia, don't say no, okay? She's our best friend and I can't live without her. Please, make her stay."

I stare at him for a minute and try to think everything through. Alwin will be safe as long as I get Alyssa to stay back...but that would mean that Ethan could die. Even though we aren't 'friends', I do have to admit that I don't want to see him die either. My other huge concern is, would he run if something bad happened? We've known each other for a long time and anytime that something bad has happened, he ran away. No, he cannot be trusted and I can't force Alyssa to stay here. She's a free spirit and listens to no one, she does what she wants and never regrets anything.

"Ethan I-," but I cut off, because Ethan puts his hand over my mouth and I slap it away. I glare at him and he shakes his head a little, but I already know my answer. "Why the hell did you-"

"Aca, just think about it for a little while and I think that if anything happened to you...well, I think that Alwin and Alyssa would, you know..." We stare at each other and realization hits me, of what he's suggesting. I stand up and he grabs my arm, trying to pull me back down. Without thinking about it, I slap him across the face and he lets go of me. "OUCH! Why the hell would you-"

"Stay away from me. Do. Not. Come. Near. Me. Understand?" I'm about to walk away, but I stare down at him again. How could we have gone from being best friends to being this? It's all utter insanity and I won't ever be able to understand why we were such good friends before. Did he change that much? Did I change that much? "You know what I'm going through right now and you'd suggest that? You're sick and vial. I hate you so much right now and if you touch me again, you'll see what I learned from my time in the Games."

I turn away from him and run away. Tears roll down my cheeks as I start to walk, but I don't start walking until I'm to the elevators. Someone touches me, before I can think twice, I turn around and grab the person by the throat. When I see that its Alwin, I let go of him and a small sob escapes from my lips. He pulls me to him and I cry into his shirt. There are footsteps coming toward us and I see Alyssa coming towards us, with a look of concern on her face. No, they would never do that to me. I can't let him get into my head like this, to let him get what he wants.

"Aca? What's wrong?" She gets closer to the two of us and I just shrug. I don't know what to do. These two...I can't loose them and if I do...its unthinkable. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head and she holds her arms out, which I run into. She's always been like my sister and I love her like one. "I can't loose either of you..."

They are both silent and I know that neither of them can promise me that they'll come back alive. If they did, that promise could be broken and in the blink of an eye. When Alyssa releases me, I stare at her for a minute and then I look back at Alwin. Be strong, be strong...

"Come on, lets go back to our apartment. You need to get some rest. Alyssa, we'll meet up when we have to go for our...test," says Alwin in a light voice. She nods her head and smiles at me before she walks away. I stare after her, as Alwin wraps his arm around my waist and leads me away. We walk, but I don't really see where I'm going or care. "Are you okay? What did _he_say to you?"

"He wants to keep Alyssa safe, its nothing. You love me, don't you?" He nods his head and looks shocked by my question. When we reach out apartment, he kisses me lightly and gets me to lay down in bed. "When do you leave on the mission? How many people are going?"

"Calm down, everything is going to be okay and I'll be back. Okay? You have to trust me here," he whispers against my lips. His lips press to mine and he pulls away, but I pull him back. One last, sweet kiss before he goes off and I'm afraid that I won't see him again. "Tomorrow is when we are leaving, but we have to stay in a different area-just in case we have any delays or we have to leave early. Aca, I will be okay and I'll come back. We are going to do everything that's right for our family."

I stare at him, my eyes filling with tears. "Please...don't leave me..."

"Aca. You know..." His eyes look pained, but I know that he's not going to stay. Alwin can't stay, this is his duty and I know it, but that doesn't mean that I like it. "I love you..."

"I love you too..." I whisper and he kisses me one last time. My eyes stay on him as he walks over to the door and looks back at me, one last time. He gives me a small smile, walks out of the room and the door shuts behind him. Tears pour out of my eyes and down my cheeks. "Alwin... don't...don't...g-go..."

**SORRY about the ending! I know, horribly sad and I'm shocked by it too! I really had no idea how this chapter would go. Hopefully all of you liked it-in a way. What did you think? :D Do you hate Ethan or like him? Just a little curious to see what everyone thinks. Okay, thank you for reading and please leave a review. *I really like the reviews and it lets me know that people are reading and like the story. So please leave me some feedback.* Okay, I'll see all of you next week! **


	26. Chapter 26: A Long Night

**Hey everyone! It's update time and this one took me a little while to get right. Oh, one of my friends that I'm insane because of something that I wrote in here and another was helping me edit that small part. Haha, I love my friends. Okay back to the story, I hope that all of you like it-I had this done the night before and I woke up, wanting to change it-so I hope that everyone likes it. :D Thank you for reading, the reviews and everything else. **

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(This chapter is un-Beta-ed)**

**(Hi to It-Was-Enchanting and Mockingjay272! They are both AMAZING writers, so check them out! :D )**

Doesn't it seem like after being alone in bed for a few nights it would be easier to fall asleep? After three frickin nights? I thrash around in bed, wishing that Alwin was here with me-but no! They had to take him away from me. How am I supposed to sleep without him? Annoyance courses through me as I think about him leaving me. How could they do that to me? To our baby? Sitting up, I give up on sleep, knowing that its a lost cause and the only thing that I see when I close my eyes is Alwin's dead body. An imagine that makes me want to scream, cry and fight harder to get to go on the missions. If he dies, so do I. There's no way that I can live without him and I don't intend to. My hand goes to my stomach and I take a deep breath. The doctor's saying that I'm about six to seven months in, about seven. Our baby is coming out soon and I can't wait to see...is it a boy or girl? What kind of a mother am I? Shouldn't I know what the baby will is?

"Acacia?" I almost jump when I hear her voice. Little Dula comes walking over to my bed, a small smile forming on her lips as she crawls into bed with me. She snuggles up to me and I smile at her. My little sister, she's always been a good girl and I intend to make sure that she stays that way. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Why don't you try to get some sleep?" She lays her head down and I hold her, tightly to my body. What more can I do? Everyone keeps looking at me like I'm about to snap or something, but I won't, I can't. My mind is racing and I decide to try to sleep again. Seeing Dula going to sleep makes me realize how tired I am. "Night, Dula...night Alwin...night baby..."

My eyes shut and I snuggle into my bed, into my sheets. Relax, everything will be find. One of my hands move to my stomach and I feel the baby kick, making me smile. I love that feeling and in a way, I think that the baby's trying to tell me that everything will be okay. Okay, maybe I'm going insane or that's what people will say if they know that I thought that. I take a deep breath and fall into an uneasy sleep, where I see him...

_The sun is bright, making everything seem lighter but in reality everything is dark. I walk outside and take a deep breath, a scream catches in my throat as I drop to my knees. My eyes stay on the ground, which is littered with decaying bodies-the only thing that I can make out and be sure of, are the skulls. A shock courses through my body as my eyes land on a small body and the tears start to fall. Little Dula..._

"_No, no..." I shake my head and look around at the other bodies. All of them are people who I love, but my eyes catch someone standing in the middle, standing on the bones and staring down. With a shaking breath, I stand up and walk toward the figure, as I get closer I realize that its a woman. But its not just any woman, its Rache Coin. "Wh...what happened?"_

_She doesn't look up from the body, but I can feel the coldness seeping into me. Her eyes stay on the body at her feet and I'm afraid to find out who the body belongs to. "You are what happened to them and...that child. After everything that we went through you failed us, you failed your child and husband-my son. He died for you and you just ran away. Let me guess, you came back to see the damage? Now you should be proud of yourself...Panem is no more."_

_"That's not my fault, that's your fault. You tried to control everyone and you did everything that you could to get what you wanted," I hiss back at her. Her glare finally turns onto me and her eyes are colder than ice, chilling to the bone. "When you started planning this rebellion, having your daughter-in-law as the Jabberjay wasn't enough for you. It had to be your blood relation and look at where that got us. Was it really worth it? All of these people...they died...because of you."_

_She glares at me and shakes her head a little. "No, its because of us. If you're willing to blame me, blame yourself too. You're the reason why my son is dead, just accept it."_

_"You're wrong. You killed him." We glare at each other and I watch her as she picks up a knife. There's dried blood on the blade and it's crisp, as though its been there for a few days-or weeks. She holds it up and I take a step back, but she just smiles at me. "What are you going to do now? Kill me? I welcome death, if its that or spending forever with you!"_

_I watch her as she shakes her head and to my surprise, she opens her mouth and shoves the knife deeply in, slowly pushing it down her throat. She starts gagging and blood starts to pour out over her lips, making me feel weak and sick to my stomach. After a second I have to look away, there's no way that I can look at her...she's dying. My eyes go back to her, her body is sprawled out on the floor. Tears start to pour down my cheeks as I realize that I'm alone, all alone..._

"Acacia? ACACIA!" My eyes flash open and I feel the tears pouring down my cheeks, hot and wet. I look over at my little sister, who's eyes are wide and startled. Slowly I get out of bed, deciding that Dula cannot see me like this. She gets up and follows me. "Where are you going?"

"Dula, you have to stay here, okay? Or...go be with mom and the others," I say in a shaky voice. When I open the door and walk out into the hallway, she follows me. I keep walking, trying to ignore her, hoping that she'll go away. Someone's walking toward us and I stop, taking a deep breath. His face comes into view, making me want to run the other way. "Uncle Odysseus-"

"Acacia, what are you doing out of bed?" His eyes dart to the little girl who's following me and I can see the confusion rising in his eyes. When Odysseus's eyes catch mine again, he shakes his head a little. "What are both of you doing out of bed? Don't you realize that this is not safe?"

"I had a nightmare and was coming to find you. Dula was sleeping in my room and she followed me out here. Did I cover everything?" We stare at each other for a few seconds and he sighs. Odysseus walks over to Dula, picks her up and leads me down the hallway to his apartment. My eyes wander around the room and I notice that its bare, except for one painting in the corner-one of him and his family. "Can Dula lay down in here? I mean-until we leave..."

Little Dula starts to protest, but Odysseus convinces her to lay down and puts a blanket over her. In seconds, she's asleep and peaceful. He walks over to a small table and sits down, gesturing for me to do the same. My stomach lurches a little as I sit down, the thought of the nightmare is too much for me. He stares at me, waiting for me to start talking, but I can't right now. Not with the images playing out in my mind, but I have to try.

"Have you heard anything...from the mission, yet?" I look up at him and he gives a slight shake of his head. My eyes shut while I tell myself that it means nothing, that everything will be okay, but even I'm not so sure. "Odysseus, do you think he'll be okay? I...I...can't..."

"I understand. Really, I do," he says in a light voice. One of his hands reach out to take mine as the tears start to fall down my cheeks. My eyes open, slowly and I look into my uncle's eyes. "You have to stay calm, go on with everyday life and keep hope alive in your heart. I'll keep you updated with every move and anything that I hear. Alwin is smart, brave and he has a lot of people who are watching his back."

A small gasp escapes from my lips and I shake my head. "Ethan...he wanted me to get Alyssa to stay behind and now...I'm afraid that he's going to do something to him. If he does..."

"Aca, listen to me. Look up at me, come on-there we go. Ethan is not going to hurt Alwin." Our eyes are locked and I can feel protectiveness washing out of him. He gives a slight shake of his head and sighs. "You couldn't have stopped Alyssa from going on the mission, she is one of our strongest fighters and she is smart. That girl is someone that we need out there, no one would have stopped her. She's going to be with Alwin at all times, they are...the heads in a way and they stick together."

"What about Ethan?" I'm shocked by how disgusted my tone sounds when I say Ethan's name. How could this all have gone this far? "Where will he be?"

Odysseus leans in and smiles at me. "He will be with everyone else, but you have to remember that Alyssa has Alwin's back and Alwin has Alyssa's. Ethan would never do anything that could put her in danger. When he was asking you to keep her here and out of harms way, that shows that he loves her. Wouldn't you do anything to keep Alwin safe? That's what he was trying to do with Alyssa, except that she's not on talking terms with him."

"But...I didn't. I had the chance to do that, but I didn't take it," I say in a small voice. My eyes dart over to my sister as she sleeps. Why didn't I at least try to keep Alyssa here? "That was what Ethan was offering me in return, but I didn't think I could trust him."

"You were smart," whispers Odysseus. I look up into his eyes and he smiles at me. "They will be fine, don't worry about it. We still have our bargaining chip too."

I stare at him, not understanding. We both lean in and he smiles, a small sad smile. Then it hits me, Sophie. As long as we have Sophie, we'll be safe and there's no way that we are going to loose her. She's probably here right now, sleeping in a bed and waiting for someone to make a move. To make a move so that she can feel free-just like the rest of us want.

**WOOHOO! :D Okay, the next chapter will probably have a little action in it or might tell a little-or a lot about the mission. I hope that all of you liked it. :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review. :D**

**Questions:**

**1) Do you like Ethan?  
2) Which death was worse, Ashlee or Lillian?  
3) What do you think of the story so far?  
4) Should Alyssa end up with Ethan? Why or why not?  
5) Who's the ONE person that you'd be mad at me if I killed off? (Well, the person who you would want to save if they were dying?) **

**Okay-I think that's it. If you have any questions about anything that's happened so far or anything, let me know and I'll answer them. :D See all of you next week! **


	27. Chapter 27: Either Way Someone's Hurt

**Hey everyone! Dun, dun, dun! It's update time and I feel like I should go into hiding after all of you read this chapter, so I'll be ready to flee haha! Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else, it means a lot and I think about them while typing the updates. :D Thank you to TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta for pointing out a mistake, I changed it right after I saw your review. I didn't know that I did that, but thank you for pointing it out. :D Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter...**

**ENJOY!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting and Mockingjay272, both of them are amazing! :D You won't regret it!) **

Odysseus walks in front of me as we walk to command and my eyes land on Coin, my monster-in-law. She's busy talking to someone and pointing at something, but when her eyes land on me they grow wide, bingo! I smile at her, a wide smile and I pat my belly. Without saying a word, I follow Odysseus, who chuckles and shakes his head. We walk together, ignoring the glares that we get from her. I smile when we reach a table, where Sophie and Beth are sitting at. Beth's still a little pale, but they said that she'll be fine, that the cut was deep and she'd return to normal soon. Sophie looks up at Odysseus, there's a sadness in her eyes that I have never seen there and Beth's gripping onto her hand, as though for dear life.

"Hello everyone, I'm so happy that all of you could join us for another meeting. All of you take a seat and settle in," says Coin, her voice is low but has the same authority in it that is always there. Odysseus sits down at one end of the table, facing her and she takes the seat right across from him. The tension in the air feels suffocating as the two of them stare each other down. "First thing that we will talk about is the big mission coming up, which means that we need some volunteers to go on that mission. Acacia, do you have a question?"

All eyes turn onto me and I smile, a wide smile. Odysseus gives a slight shake of his head as I stand up, revealing how big my bump truly is. I have a few more months to go until the baby is here and I can't wait for that. The baby will probably be safer once he or she is outside of me and I'll get to hold my baby for the first time. Tears swell up in my eyes, which is the only bad thing about being pregnant-the hormones.

"From what it sounds like, you're saying that this mission will take place after the baby is born. I want to go on the mission and be the Jabberjay again," I say in a light voice and I rub my belly. She stares at me in shock and starts to shake her head. "Once the baby is born, I'm free to fight and be the symbol for the rebellion. The baby won't be in danger after that and I want to fight along side my husband, and my friends."

"I don't know if that's a wise choice. What if your child looses both parents? Imagine how horrible that child would feel," she says in an icy cold voice. Our eyes stay locked and the tension gets thicker. "Do you really want your child to grow up like that? Feeling unloved and unwanted? One of you two should stay behind and I feel like my son would be the better choice to fight-"

"As long as the baby is not in danger, I should be able to fight. Besides, I feel like this is something that I should talk about with _my_ husband, because after all its up to the two of us." She glares at me and I feel my uncle stand up beside me, but I don't look over at him. "You think that Alwin would want you to stop me from fighting? The symbol of the rebellion? I don't think that he sees it your way, he wants what is right for Panem, not about family pride."

"Let's all agree that, if the baby is born before the mission...that Acacia can return to fighting and be the Jabberjay. Let's move on, now," growls Odysseus, he growls at my witch of a mother in law. We all sit back down and all eyes turn onto him. "Next on the list is how the mission is going. Acacia-honey, I know that you're nervous, but would you please loosen your grip on my arm? It feels like you're trying to cut it off with a dull piece of metal."

I look down and realize that my fingers are clamped around his arm. "Sorry..."

"Onto the update about the mission. As of right now, our soldiers are in District Two and rounding up people to help. Alwin is doing a great job and they are going to go to the Capitol, to drop off a message...if anything goes wrong they are ordered to bomb-," he stops talking, as my fingers dig into his arm. His eyes lock with mine and I give a slight shake of my head. No, there are too many people who I love on this mission to do that and its gambling. "Our message is about the President's daughter, Sophie, who has been a huge help to us on how to get into the Capitol. The message is as long as they don't try to cause us any harm, Sophie will be safe and remain unharmed, not that we'd hurt you my dear. We will be sending our soldiers into Two, where they will be switched out with trained Peacekeepers, who will be sent to the Capitol. This is a less risky move and we have a vivid map of every street in the Capitol and the President's mansion."

Sophie raises her hand and Odysseus nods his head at her. "I want to go on the mission. This has to end and I want to be a part of it. The man who I called my father, kidnapped me and I want to see his downfall. I have been training and know the Capitol's layout."

"No! No! NO! Absolutely not! Doesn't everyone see what she's trying to do?" screeches Rache, pointing her finger at Sophie. Everyone stares at her as though she's lost her mind, making Sophie shake her head a little. "_She's_ trying to get her way back into the Capitol, so that she can get back to them and she'll back stab us all! We need to keep her here and under our watch...under _our_ control."

"You're delusional. Do you think that I would have gone willingly when I was taken from the Capitol? That I would have made all of you these maps, if I weren't on your side?" Sophie raises an eyebrow and looks over at Beth, who's color is slowly coming back. "I want to help the rebellion and make things right. You on the other hand are greedy and need your own son to be the symbol of the rebellion, when it should be your daughter in law. Maybe you shouldn't be involved in the rebellion either and we can be locked up, together. What do you think about that?"

Odysseus stands up, with both hands in the air as the other two glare at each other. "We'll talk about Sophie going on the mission when it comes closer and she has proven herself loyal to us. I for one, think that she should be allowed to go on the mission, but like I said before...we'll talk about that when it comes time. Before the end of our meeting, we'll get another update about the mission and everyone will be dismissed for dinner."

"No ones been captured, have they?" I stare at my uncle, with wide eyes and breath a sigh of relief when he shakes his head. My eyes close for a second and I bask in happiness, until red alarms start to go off. Everyone is on their feet seconds later and I rush behind Odysseus, who's working his way to a computer. He mutters under his breath as he stares at the screen and starts yelling orders, as he puts on a headpiece with a small microphone on it. "What's going on? Are we under attack, again?"

"No..." That's the only answer that I get from him, as he starts to talk quickly into the microphone and yell orders around him. He shakes his head and shuts his eyes, looking far older then he is. Coin and him start to yell things to each other, trying to get a hold on everything. "Aca, I need you to go over there and help them track everything-okay? Just go over there and help them-please."

I nod my head and walk over to where Sophie is sitting, with Beth. The two of them are staring at the computer screen and I watch as Beth's eyes grow wide in horror. She stands up and Odysseus looks over at her, she gives a slight shake of her head. What's going on?

"Beth? Tell me what's going on, please," I whisper, pleadingly. She just points to the screen and I watch as bombs start to fall on District Two, destroying homes. People start running and I watch as one of the hovercrafts are blown to pieces, making me scream. "No...no...are they okay? Can...can we...talk to them?"

"Only with two people and both of them are helping people out of the area. We are hoping that they start to respond more and that...no ones hurt," whispers Sophie, who looks like she's on the verge of tears. "How many more people can they kill? Don't they understand...of course not..."

"Let's just get our revenge! They want the girl don't they? KILL THE GIRL!" screams Coin, making everyone stop working. Everyone stares at her as she walks over to Sophie, who looks like she's about ready to knock the woman to the ground. The two of them glare at each other, neither of them backing down. "She's who they want back and she's just a spoiled Capitol brat!"

"If I'm a spoiled Capitol brat, then you're the bitch of District Thirteen." Sophie is on her feet and glaring at Coin, as she makes a grab at her. The next thing that everyone knows, Coin is on her back and Sophie is glaring down at her. "Don't forget what we are fighting for. I'm not the enemy."

Seconds later we are all back to our task and Coin is being escorted out of the room. My eyes move across the screen, looking for a sign of anyone who I love. There's no sign of any of them, but a few seconds later the feed changes to the Capitol, where bombs are falling and so are some hovercrafts-our hovercrafts. I stare at the screen and watch as a woman is blown up, pushing Sophie to tears. Beth holds onto her sister, as she cries.

"That was...my nanny," whispers Sophie. I look over at her and watch as she shakes her head. "She didn't deserve that, she's the reason why I'm...me..."

I look back at the screen as people fight over the feed and I get a glimpse of five people fighting. My eyes take it all in, Alwin, Alyssa and Ethan are fighting two tall men. The feed cuts out, but not before Ethan jumps out of the picture and a second later a knife goes flying in Alyssa and Alwin's direction. The feed cuts off and I'm left here, staring at the blank screen, terrified.

For a minute everyone is quiet as they try to get the feed back. After a few minutes, we all sit back and allow it all to sink in. Tears start to fall down my cheeks, anger courses through me and I curl in on myself. Either the knife went through my best friend or my husband. Was it Ethan?

**Hm...I hope that all of you don't hate me too much, but I just saw this chapter ending like this and I hope that you liked it-or at least enjoyed reading it. :D Let's see what happens next...next week! I put a sneak peek up on my facebook like page every week, so if you want to head over there you might see what happens early. :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review. :D See all of you next week! **


	28. Chapter 28: I'll Kill Ethan

**Hey everyone! It's update time in KelsNicole92 Land! :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Remember to check out It-Was-Enchanting (who still has a few exams left and I give a lot of credit to, because I would have lost my mind) and Mockingjay272! Both of them are amazing! Thank you to all of you and its bittersweet that I'm on the last one, thank you to all of you for sticking with Acacia, Alwin and myself. :D (I think that I'm going back into hiding...after I post.)**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~Haha! Your reviews always stick out in my mind. :D Well...you'll see who is hurt... :/ I can't say who, but you'll see. You like Ethan? :D  
**

I pace around command as they try to get the feed back, but its not looking too good. We lost the feed yesterday and for some unknown reason we cannot get it back. My fingers run through my hair and I feel like ripping it out, all of this is getting to be too much. Alwin, is he okay? Alyssa? Those are the two questions that are making my heart beat rapidly and feel like its going to explode. Ethan, if he had anything to do with any of this...he'll wish that he was dead. Did he do this because I couldn't keep Alyssa here and out of danger? She's Alyssa for crying out loud! No one could have stopped her! He wouldn't do that...he wouldn't. For what seems like the millionth time, I replay the whole thing in my mind and try to see who it was going at. Every time I think that its the other one, but for some reason I feel like it was going more for Alyssa, which Ethan would not have done.

Odysseus's hand lands on my shoulder and I look over at him, feeling my whole frame start to shake. He makes me sit down and I put my head in my hands, trying to breath. My hands are pried off of my head and he forces me to look at him. Taking a deep breath I nod my head as his hand goes to my stomach, the baby kicks and my breath catches. We stare at each other for a minute, the baby...the baby needs both of his or her parents.

"You should go eat something, Aca-don't shake your head. Think about the baby," his voice is is light and I slowly nod my head. He stands up and looks around the room, letting me have a small moment alone with the baby as I place my hand on my belly. "Beth, why don't you take Aca to get something to eat? I think that she needs to get out of here for a few minutes and it'll do you both some good."

"No, I'm not leaving the room. Get someone to go get me something to eat," I mumble, earning me a few glances from a few people who are close to me. Beth stops right next to me and I look up at her, she holds out her hand but I shake my head. "I can't leave. Alwin and Alyssa..."

"If I go get you something you will eat it, right?" She stares down at me and I give a slight nod of my head. Beth turns to Odysseus and he gives her a nod, but he doesn't look happy. My eyes stay on her as she walks out of the room, but she stops in the doorway. "They'll both be fine, don't worry about that. Both of them are fighters and they are both strong. Look at how many things they have both made it through."

My breathing stops as I think about it, yes their luck might just run out and I hope that it doesn't. A sound makes my head snap up and I see my father on the screen, he looks beaten and worn. There's a cut under his eye that has been stitched up, some black and blue marks, with little marks on his face. He looks relieved when he hears my uncle's voice and I jump up.

"What in the hell happened? Hale, you have to tell me what's going on-now!" Odysseus's voice is hard and full of relief. They stare at each other for a few minutes and my father looks down for a minute. "Tell me what happened and how everyone is doing. How was the feed cut off and was it down on your end too? How many were killed? How many were injured?"

"Ten died, seven injured and only three got away with a few scratches. How is Acacia doing? Oh, honey! There you are," he says, then he lets out a breath. My eyes stay on the screen and I see the pain in his eyes. I feel my throat constricting, making it harder for me to breath. "We are about to send over the names of who have been killed, who have been injured and how they are doing. There are a few in critical condition and we are moving to make them stable. How are things over there?"

Odysseus looks down at the piece of paper that comes out of a machine and his eyes go wide. I move over to him, but he hides the piece of paper from my view. "Things are going fine, now that we can communicate with all of you now. We are working with Sophie to figure out the best way to get into the Capitol and we have a plan. Soldiers are training for the mission right now and we are working with our allies in Two."

I make a grab for the paper and get it. Odysseus yells something and I look down on the piece of paper. My eyes scan until I find one of the names that I hoped not to see on there. But there it is, in black and white. A small gasp escapes from my lips and I stare at it, before it is torn out of my hands.

_Alwin Coin: Condition-critical. Injuries-small cuts, bullet to the lower right side. Not responding, forcing liquids into body. Number one priority. _

"How...why? Him..." Tears fall down my cheeks and I shake my head a few times. Odysseus pulls me into a hug and I can hear my father talking, but I don't hear what he's saying. My heart feels like its about to explode and there's nothing that I can do about it or for him. "Are they coming back? I have to see him...please?"

"We are on our way back and he's making some progress. Tomorrow night, we should be there and you'll see that he's doing better," says my dad, his voice is light and he talks quick. I know my dad and that's how he always acts when something is seriously wrong. My gaze drops to the floor and I feel someone behind me, Beth. "Look, you have some food. Why don't you go enjoy that and we'll see you tomorrow?"

I look up at the screen and nod my head a few times, knowing that I have to keep going for the baby. "Tell Ethan...that if he doesn't have any injuries right now, he will once I get a hold of him."

Turning away, I walk back to my seat and sit back down. Beth sits down beside me and hands me a bowl of soup, quickly I start to eat it. She hands me a piece of bread and puts a glass of water in front of me. The whole time she stays next to me and watches me. Probably under someone's orders to makes sure that I eat. My eyes flicker up to her and I notice that her eyes are on the screen, which now has some footage on it. Some of the Districts are rebelling, which should make me happier.

"He'll be okay," whispers Beth. I look over at her and notice that she's looking away from me. She looks over at me and smiles, its a small smile and I can see the pain in her eyes. "Hector...he died in the fight, didn't he? The last time that I saw him was...on the track...I was supposed to go too."

"I don't...know, you can check with Odysseus. What do you mean you were supposed to go?" Her? She cannot be serious, we need her here and I don't want to see her get hurt. Beth nods her head and I remember back in the arena, its not like she hasn't fought for her life before but now...I can't let her do that. "You're great with technology and you have your sister to think about. Stay here and stay out of danger."

She smiles at me and gives a slight shake of her head. "No. We are both going to fight, as in Sophie and I. Neither of us are going to stay behind and just wait. This is something that we have to do, okay? I can fight and Soph's learning how to. She's coming along good and might be able to take me on one day."

"Think about all of this, everything that's at risk. Are you ready to risk everything?" She looks at me and raises an eyebrow. I stare at her with a small smile. "Now that I have a baby, its different for me. Alwin...and I are doing this for our child, we have to do this."

"I have to do this too. They took away my mother," says Beth, making me look away. I can't stand the pain in her eyes. When I look back over at her, she's looking at Sophie. "They took my sister away from me and they will pay for both things. Don't you understand why I have to do this?"

I nod my head and look over as Dula comes into the room. She runs over to me and sits down on my lap, making Beth smile. Dula smiles up and puts my belly, making me smile. Ever since she found out that I'm having a baby she's been excited and waiting for the baby.

She rubs my belly and I feel the baby kick, so does she. "Does she already know who I am? Her aunt..."

"You think that the baby's a girl?" Dula's wide eyes come up to meet mine and she nods. I smile at her and can't help but feel a little more happy. A girl? Alwin would be wrapped around her finger...a good and bad thing. "She'll be a daddy's girl, won't you?"

The baby kicks and tears roll down my cheeks. Alwin should be here to see this and I hope that he'll be able to see the baby come. Only three more months to go...three more months. Our little baby will be here soon and then, I'll be back to being the Jabberjay. Everything will end right...I know that it will. We will have our baby, each other and a new Panem for everyone.

"Here..." I look up and see that Odysseus is holding a headset out to me. My confusion must show in my eyes and on my face, because he smiles a small smile as he puts it on my head. "We are trying to see if Alwin's brain is more active if he hears your voice and try to get a response out of him. You, might be the key to all of this and don't worry, talk to him like you normally would."

I stare at him in shock and nod my head slowly. My hand stays on my stomach as I try to think of something to say. "Alwin, I need you..."

**Hm...I'm thinking about jumping a little farther ahead soon, don't worry I'll show more of Alwin-I promise. Sorry for that and quick question, should I hide? He's not dead, so that's a good thing right? *Nervous smile* I'm sorry about that, I saw it happening and it has to happen...sorry! Okay, thank you for reading and please leave a review. New chapter coming next week! :D **_  
_


	29. Chapter 29: Can I Trust Him?

**Hey everyone! I want to start off by thanking thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Second, sorry about Alwin getting hurt! :( That's been planned since the first one, not everything has been planned-but this had to happen. Hope all of you like the story so far and hope all of you like the next chapter, which changed a little from my mind to typing it. :D**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**Trading Tomorrow~haha! If its a girl she will probably be a daddy's girl, but we'll see what they have. :D**

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~I am going to hide now, very nice threat haha! Really, I hope that you like this chapter and won't want to find me at the end, but probably not with something in this chapter. Haha! I LOVE Ethan! :D Hope you like the new chapter!**

They returned two hours ago, but I'm still not allowed to see any of them. No, they said something about needing to check all of them out and after they were all in the clear-I could see them. I have to sit in this chair and wait, did I mention how much I hate this chair? And by hate-I mean that I want to throw this thing against the wall or break something with it hate. Why can't I just see Alwin? If I get to see him I'll feel better, at least then I'll know that he's alive and seeing him will put me a little more at ease. Odysseus told me that I'm not allowed back-yet, but he ran back there hours ago, promising to come get me. Here I am, still waiting. Can't they at least give me a little bit of news? Like, Aca your husband isn't dead, just so you know and aren't sitting there in a horrible pain, waiting for hours on end. No, they can't do that because that would actually make SENSE!

I take a deep breath and try to calm myself, but it doesn't help me at all. The doctor checked me this morning, before the hovercraft returned and he told me to stay calm. My hand is on my stomach and I try to listen to him, for our baby. Sitting here, I try to think about how the baby will be. Maybe...a boy? A smile forms on my lips as I think about the baby being like Alwin. Everything will be so much easier when the baby's born, because then they can't keep me here and keep me under protection-out of the loop. Then I won't be separated from my husband, we'll be a team again and I'll never leave his side.

Someone opens the door and my head snaps up, my eyes lock on the dark hair. I jump up and start hitting him every place that I can reach, muttering at him. The anger is taking me over and I can't stop myself, even when he pins me against the wall. I thrash and spit insults at him, not caring about anything but the fact that Alwin is hurt and that he was there. What am I supposed to think about after his little "deal" that he offered me?

"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to kill me or something?" exclaims Ethan in an angry tone. I spit at him and his grip loosens on me, allowing me to get the upper hand. Seconds later, our positions are switched and I have him up against the wall, powerless. "Aca! I don't know what's gotten into you-but stop this! Are you insane or something? Can't you see that I have a broken arm? Do you really think that its smart to throw me-OW! Stop that!"

A small amount of satisfaction hits me when I start to punch his arm, grabbing it and trying to hurt him in any way that I can. The next thing that I know, I'm pulled back and against the opposite wall and I gasp when I see who it is. He shakes his head at me and smiles. When he lets go of me, I just glare at him as he shakes his head at me and looks over at Ethan. Odysseus's lips part, but he stops when the door opens and out walks Alyssa. She looks over at me and I see the guilt in her eyes. My eyes skim her over and I see various cuts, scratches and bruises on her. Ethan reaches out for her, but she shakes her head and tries to walk away.

"Aly, please-don't go. Stay here," I whisper, our eyes lock and for the first time she shakes her head no. I stare at her as she walks off, with her head down. My eyes flicker over to Ethan and I see a cut right above his eye, one that matches Alyssa's. "Odysseus, is he okay? What's going on? Can I see him now, please? I have to see him soon or else I'll go crazy and I'm his wife-"

"Stop talking and start behaving like a young lady, or else you won't get back there to see him. No more attacking Ethan, got it?" I look down and give a slight nod of my head. He takes a deep breath and starts to walk away from me, confusing me. "Do you think the two of you can be alone for a few minutes and not kill each other? If so, I would really appreciate it and I'll be back soon. Talk to each other nicely and if you can't do that, don't talk at all. When I get back if you're both still alive and don't have any new injures, you both can go where you want to."

He walks around the corner, leaving me here alone with Ethan and I know that I can't attack him again, unless I don't want to see Alwin. Looks like I have to play nice...for now, at least. There's always later to get back at him for all of this, but I could always see what he has to say about this whole thing. Maybe he'll surprise me and tell me the truth. If not, I'll find out from Alyssa and Alwin.

"What happened? The last thing that we saw was you walking out of range for the video feed, then a knife goes at Alyssa and Alwin," I whisper, knowing that he can hear me. My eyes flicker over to him and I watch him as he puts his head in his hands, pulling at his hair. "Can you at least tell me what happened? Right after that, the feed cut out and I was left wondering who the knife hurt..."

"I know what you're thinking and I had nothing to do with that, I swear. Do you really think that I would risk Alyssa's life and try to kill Alwin? We have been working together and that's part of the reason why he's back there," mumbles Ethan, his voice is barley above a whisper. Carefully, I sit down next to him and pull his hands off of his head. He looks up at me, his eyes are bloodshot and I can see the pain in them. "Aca, we made a deal before we went on this mission and the deal is still in tact. Both of us will do anything to protect you and Aly, even if that means our deaths. When I walked out of the feed...I was fighting someone, who had cut Alwin in the arm-trying to kill him. We called a truce and are working together, can't you ever forgive me for what I did in the past and see that I want to start fresh? Alwin is giving me that chance and I wish everyone else would too."

"No one knows if we can trust you and why should we? Look at everything that you've done. Think about Alyssa and how much you've hurt her." He shakes his head a few times and a bitter smile forms on his lips. I want to punch him right here and right now. "Why are you smiling like that? This is not funny! See? You treat everything like its a joke and you expect for everyone to just take your word for it."

Ethan pulls his pant leg up and I stop breathing when I see that a few layers of skin have been burned off. "See that? There was a fire when we were getting everyone out of there and I was carrying Alwin, with Alyssa. I...pushed Aly out of the way and dropped Alwin, but it was so that they wouldn't be near the fire. Right after that, Alwin blacked out and Alyssa hit her head. You can't see the cut because her hair covers it, but she hit her head on a rock and was knocked senseless."

"How did all of you get out?" I stare at him, but he looks every where except at me. Shaking my head I stand up and start pacing around the small area, by the doors. The dull gray walls are getting on my nerves, with the long cracks in them. "Why can't you just tell me? At some point you said that you loved me, do you still?"

"Aca, I have always liked you like that-so I'm not going to lie, but you're with Alwin and I know that you're happy. I loved you first, but I love Alyssa more," he says in a light voice and I can hear the sincerity dripping off of each word. He shakes his head a few times and lets out a dark chuckle. "Before we got off of the hovercraft, she pulled me aside and kissed me. She told me that it was in case something happened to one of us and that she forgives me. After everything that happened on the mission, she just ran away from me."

I stare at one of the cracks on the wall and shake my head a few times. "Maybe she's afraid that you'll hurt her again and she can't take it. You have to show her how much you love her and be a man. Can you tell me something? Who...died on the mission?"

"No one who really means anything to you. Hector is injured...Beth will be happy," says Ethan, his tone is light but I know that something big must have happened. "Aca, the reason why Alyssa ran off like that is not because of you or me...its because-"

"I'm glad to see that the two of you are still alive. Ethan, you can go to central and get in on the conversation of mission Jabberjay," says Odysseus, walking toward us. My eyes flicker back to Ethan, but he's out of the conversation and rushing down the hallway. "What's wrong little Jabberjay? Did something happen while I was away?"

"He was going to tell me why Alyssa ran off like that." There's a flicker in his eyes that tells me that he knows and I turn to look at him as he opens the door. We walk through the door and down a hallway, passing many rooms and people running around. "What happened to her? Is she okay? Please, Uncle Odysseus can you tell me what's going on with her?"

"She might be having a few complications, but the doctors believe that they will clear up in no time. Alyssa is a strong girl and we all know that she can get through this." He stops in front of a door and my eyes widen. Odysseus puts his hand on the door knob and takes a deep breath, his eyes locked with mine. "This boy has been through a lot and is doing better. Don't do anything to upset him or that gets yourself upset, okay? If you do, you'll be taken out of there and not allowed back alone."

I nod my head and he opens the door. Slowly, I walk into the room and a gasp escapes from my lips as I look down at him. A cut runs from just below his eye, down to his jaw. My eyes fill with tears as I walk over to him and I take his hand in mine. This is...my Alwin, but how can this be happening to him? The cuts, bruises and scars now cover his body. My heart is breaking just by looking at him.

"Alwin, I-I'm so...s-so-sorry," I stutter out and my tears pour down my cheeks. His eyes flicker and I stop breathing for a second, as he looks around. When his eyes land on me, I can't help but smile and squeeze his hand. "Honey, are you alright? You don't know how worried I've-"

He pulls away from me and pushes himself up against the bed, cowering away from me. I stare at him in shock and he points at me, his whole frame shaking. My fingers reach out for him, but he flinches and covers his face with his hands. Staring at him cowering, my stomach lurches and I don't understand what's going on.

I stand up and back away from him, not knowing what to do. He calms down a little and allows his hands to fall. "Pl-please, d-d-don-n't h-hur-t me."

**YAY! Alwin is not dead! :D Okay, that's the bright side of things and I do promise a happy ending-I swear! Thank you all for reading and please leave a review. Let me know what ya think. :D**


	30. Chapter 30: I'm Different From Who I Was

**Hey everyone, its update time. I just want to make one thing clear-Alwin is not hijacked-I promise all of you. When I wrote it I didn't think that it would come across that way, but I assure all of you-no hijacking. :) Thank you all for reading, the reviews and everything else. I love writing and this story has a special place in my heart, part of me is sad because this is the last one. But thank you all so much for all of the support. **

**To everyone who has stuck with Acacia and myself to this point, thank you so much! This story means the world to me and I've had one or two people bash it, one person did it a few times, but I would never give up this story. So thank you to all of you for helping me with this story and for reading. :)**

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~No problem, I love Ethan and always have. :) Awwww! Thank you for re-reading it and saying that. It means a lot to me and thank you for all of the reviews. Hm...Emma? Funny thing, I love that name! We'll see what happens and what the baby is, right now I'm going back and forth between names-but you'll see soon. :)  
Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

How they keep telling me to calm down? My husband is afraid of me and I'm supposed to be calm? No, I'm not going to calm down until I find out what's going on and what's going to be done about it. Alwin, how can he look at me like that? His eyes wild and missing the trust that I always saw in them. Can anything be done for him? Something better be able to be done for him or else they'll have to answer to me. This is the exact reason why I didn't want him to go on the mission, mostly without me! Don't they ever think about the family involved? What about our baby? If Alwin can't look at me lovingly, how can he look at our baby that way? Will he see the baby as a threat to him?

My stomach lurches and I hunch over, puking all over the gray floor. The next thing that I know, I'm sitting in a chair, having a tin bucket pushed in front of my face. I take a few deep breaths, trying to steady myself and shake my head, trying to make the dizziness go away. Putting my head in my hands and closing my eyes, I try to think of good things-happy things. Of course, things are going to be hard. I'm Acacia Lily Yarrow Coin, the Jabberjay, wife of Alwin Coin, the symbol of the rebellion...

"Where is he? Where is _HE_?" I don't have to look up to know who it is, no one else can shriek like that. Just when I thought that things couldn't get any worse, my mother-in-law, Rache Coin. She's going to make me feel even more worse and probably make me throw up again. "You! What are _you_doing here? How dare you come here and sit here, as though you have a right to be here! I knew that he should have married Alyssa!"

"Don't start with her, Rache. She had nothing to do with any of this and she tried to stop _you_ from sending _your_son into a war zone. If you can't control yourself and be halfway decent to my niece, you will be thrown out of here and kept for evaluation," growls Odysseus, as the floor spins before my eyes. "You could loose your position if you have to be evaluated, so if I were you I would shut up and sit down. Do you understand me?"

I finally look up and see the pair of hateful eyes on me, but she clears her throat and sits down on a chair across from me. My gaze flickers to my uncle, who sits down beside me and I lean my head back against the hard, cold gray wall. He knows that I'm thankful for what he said, but I'll have to make sure to tell him later-after my head stops spinning. For some reason I don't see that coming any time soon, all of this is too much.

"Odysseus..." is the only thing that I can whisper before I start to sob, chocking on my words. His arm wraps around me and I lean forward, in on myself. My mind is racing and I hate not being able to curl in on myself, like I could before I was pregnant. "I...I...need...him..."

"Aca? Honey, are you okay?" My father's voice makes me stiffen, but I relax. I'm more used to my uncle's voice than my own father's? The chair next to me creeks and I know that my father is sitting down. Odysseus takes his arm away and stands up, leaving me with my father. His arm wraps around me and I lean into him, a little. "What's wrong? Alwin is going to be fine. He's a strong, young man-"

"How do you know? How do you know that he's going to be okay? Do you know something that everyone else doesn't know?" I yell, making my head pound and I clutch at my stomach. All of this is too much and I feel myself slipping away, little by little. "Dad...I love him. I can't do this without him and our baby..."

"Sh...it will all be okay. Look at me, honey...look at me." I look up at him, but he's blurred and I can't tell if its from the tears or from something else. "Acacia, are you alright? You're shaking and..."

A buzzing starts in my ears, low. The blackness starts to eat away at my vision and I am swallowed by the darkness. The pressure in my head is too much and I feel like I'm about to explode. I open my eyes, but all that I see is blackness, a light breeze makes me shiver. I'm alone...

I shut my eyes again and try to blink everything away. Slowly, the pounding in my head gets worse and my eyes flicker open. The light is too bright and I turn my head to the left, wishing that I could escape it. Someone's fingers press against my temple, moving around my forehead. My eyes shut, slowly and I let out a light moan. A hand takes mine and starts to rub it, making me feel a little more at ease.

"Are you okay? Sweetie?" His fingers brush through my hair and my head throbs on. My father is here? Doesn't he have something to do with the rebellion? "Everything is going to be okay and the baby is fine. They're saying that your blood pressure is a little high, so you have to stay in here for the night or until it goes down. I'll keep an eye on Alwin and check on him."

"I need to see him, please? Dad, he...he thought that I was going to hurt him," the words come fumbling out of my mouth and the tears start pouring out of my eyes. The pressure in my head stays the same, but it doesn't stop me from thinking about Alwin. "You should have seen him, he was so...scared of me and he pushed away from me. What happened to him? Why is he afraid?"

My dad stays silent and my eyes flicker open. His eyes are locked on the wall across from him, but I can see the pain clear as day in his eyes. I stare at him, hoping that he will look at me and tell me what's going on. After a few minutes I realize that he's not going to tell me, but maybe if I ask him? What's the worse that can happen if I ask him? That he won't tell me and I'll just get even more upset? Either way that this thing goes I'll end up more upset and its not good for the baby, so is there really a harm in asking?

"Dad, what happened to him? Please, tell me," I beg and he closes his eyes. My hand goes to my stomach, trying to feel some sort of comfort and I do when the baby kicks. "Alwin, will he be better by the time that I have the baby? I only have two more months and that's if everything goes as planned. Oh no, what if I have the baby in a week or two? The baby will be unhealthy and without his or her father-"

"Acacia, you'll have Alwin back by the time that the baby comes Honey, I promise you that Alwin will be beside you when the baby comes, okay?" asks my dad, his eyes are locked with mine. Taking a deep breath I nod my head and he stands up, making my heartbeat quicken. He bends down and kisses me on my forehead. "I'll go check on Alwin and come see you before you go to sleep for the night. Just relax and everything will be okay. Have something to eat in a little while and take a little nap."

He walks out of the room and I lay here, unable to do anything. I can't do what I want to do, because that would put the baby in danger and I don't want to do that. For the first time in my life, I'm playing by their rules and not questioning anything. When someone else comes into the room, I'll find out what happened to Alwin and how he's doing. That's the only thing that I can do. A light yawn escapes from my mouth and I snuggle back into my pillows, maybe I'll close my eyes for a little while?

The door creaks open and my eyes flash open. I stare at Alyssa, who's eyes are wide and sad. She walks into the room and closes the door. Slowly, she walks over to me and sits down in the chair next to my bed. Looking into her eyes, I see something else...fear?

"Are you okay Aly?" I ask her, in a light voice. She nods her head and looks down, obviously feeling bad about something. My eyes stay on her and she shakes her head a few times, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, its about the last mission. The knife...if Alwin wouldn't have jumped in front of me-h-he...wouldn't be in a bed and not know who his allies are from his enemies." She looks up at me and lets out a shaky breath. "When we were going back to the hovercraft, Alwin and I both hit our heads...but I don't think that's why he's acting this way. Hector, ended up dead and no one saw how. Someone suggested that something happened between him and Alwin, after the whole knife thing. No one can get it out of him..."

I stare at her and I take her hand in mine, trying to let her know that everything will be okay. "Aly, its not your fault. But I have to ask, what do you mean by something happened between Alwin and Hector?"

"Someone said that after Alwin got cut, Hector was helping him and the next thing that everyone knew...Hector was on the ground and dead." Alyssa shrugs and looks down at the sheets. "I just went and saw him, don't worry...he remembers you and the baby. He's asking to see you and I think that he's starting to remember everything. What are you doing?"

I push myself off of the bed and Alyssa helps to steady me, but tries to get me back down onto the bed. Slowly, I start to waddle around, but Alyssa holds me back. Her hands stay on me as I make my way over to the door. The door opens, before I can touch the handle and I take a step backwards. A small smile forms on my lips when I see who it is, he smiles a small and nervous smile.

Tears threaten to come back as I stare at him. "Alwin..."

"Ace..."

**Hm...the next chapter will have some Ace and Alwin in it, sound good? :) When will the baby be born? I'm thinking that it will be pretty soon and I can't wait. I know the gender of the baby, but am going back and forth between names, I want to make sure that he/she has the perfect name. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. :D**

**PLEASE READ~I'm going to keep trying to update once a week, but they might be later and not like normal. Since its summer and lots of things are coming up. See all of you next week. :D **

**(\_/)  
(^.^)o  
o(")(") See that cute little button, right under this? Bunny would love if you leave a review...**


	31. Chapter 31: How Can This Be Happening?

**Hey everyone! It's update time and I hope that all of you are ready. The baby is coming soon-I promise. :) Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. I'm having a blast writing this story and I hope that all of you enjoy reading it. Okay, onto the new chapter...**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(I'm still deciding on the baby's name-not saying if the baby is a boy or a girl, but I just have to wait until I type it to pick the perfect name. This baby has been coming for a long time and he/she means so much to me. Hope all of you love the baby when it gets here.) **

We sit across from each other, in two light blue chairs and his eyes scan my body, trying to remember everything about me. His eyes go to my bulging stomach as I cradle it, hoping that our baby will have his or her father back before the birth. The thought of having the baby without him truly being there is unimaginable and the thought makes me feel sick. No, she needs him here and she has to do everything in her power to get him back, because without him she's nothing. It's plain and simple; she needs him. Her eyes fill with tears, quickly she tries to brush them away but a few of them make their way down her cheeks. Alwin's eyes stay on her the whole time and he watches the tears fall, with his lips slightly parted. Silently, I remind myself to stay seated and not to push anything. This is the hardest thing that I've ever had to do, have him not remember me. Well, he knows my name at least...

"They tell me that we're married. Is that true?" Holding up my left hand I show him the ring on my finger and nod my head, making him look down at his own hand, where his ring sits on his finger "I heard them saying that you're pregnant. Are we having a baby?"

Nodding my head, more tears roll down my cheeks and I drop my gaze to the floor. I feel myself slowly breaking and don't know how much more of this I can take. "Yes, we're having a baby and he or she will be here in a matter of days or weeks. Don't you remember anything about us? Like, when we were in the arena together? Two times? Your favorite color is red, you're the only person who calls me Ace and you're the only man that I've ever loved. Please, try to remember...I need you, please...we need you."

His gaze drops to my stomach as he realizes who I'm talking about. The baby and I do need him, which I know must be hard on him right now. Looking into his eyes, I can't tell if he believes me or not and all that I can do is hope that he does. My husband doesn't remember me or our child, how am I supposed to handle this? With my eyes on him, I feel the yearning to touch him and I feel my mind starting to go blank, my hand reaching up. My hand falls back down when he flinches and I let out a light sob.

"You can...touch me if you want to. I'm not really afraid of you anymore, you seem nice." Slowly I nod my head and stand up, he does the same. I reach out to him and touch his face, his cheek. The feel of his soft skin under my hand makes more tears come to my eyes. "Why do I feel like I know you so well and like I shouldn't be afraid of you? You're so beautiful and kind..."

"Alwin, I would never hurt you. Please, believe that if you don't believe anything else that I've said," I whisper to him and lean in, kissing him once lightly on the cheek. Quickly I turn away and walk out of the room, once the door is closed, I allow myself to break. "My Alwin...no..."

"Aca? Are you alright?" I look up and see Ethan standing in front of me, which sends me over the edge. We stare at each other and he helps me up, as I burst into tears. "Everything is going to be okay and they're saying that Alwin is going to get his memories back-soon. They are all saying that he'll be back to normal before the baby comes, trust them-trust me. I'll be here for you, okay? As your friend. Alyssa will be there for you too..."

Shaking my head, I push away from him and walk away. The tears continue to fall down my cheeks and I quickly walk down the hallway, to my mother's apartment. I can't stay in ours while Alwin is...lost. When she walks into her mother's place, she sees her dad and quickly walks over to one of the beds-laying down. My hair falls into my face and I don't try to move it, the tears keep falling down my cheeks. A pain erupts in my stomach, making me lurch forward-sitting up straight. My eyes go wide as I feel something wet under neath me and my breathing goes shallow as tears form in my eyes. Quickly I look over at my dad, my eyes wide and full of fear.

"Aca, what's wrong? Honey?" His eyes stay locked with mine and I look down at my stomach, another pain erupts through my stomach and I grip onto the sheets. "Honey? Look at me, Acacia. What's wrong? Are you okay? Does something hurt? Sweetie?"

I nod my head, frantically and grab onto my father's hand. He stares at me as I get up off of the bed. "I...I think that the b-baby's coming. W-what a-a-am I suppo-ssed to-o do? Alwin...I-I ca-an't do this wi-tthout him."

The tears are falling freely now and my dad helps me over to a chair, rushing out into the hallway. My mom comes running into the small apartment and takes my hands in hers, telling me that everything will be okay. She looks into my eyes and sees the fear in them. I'm afraid of doing this without him and I need him there with me. Alwin, my Alwin, he has to be beside me through everything.

After a few minutes, I'm being wheeled down to the hospital area and my family follows behind, all of them anxious. I let out a light groan as they take me into a room and I'm put in a bed, all of them fussing around me. My eyes flicker to my dad and tears start to pour down my cheeks, as I realize Alwin won't be here for the birth. That's the only thing that I want-that I need. He's the father, can't he be here with me? Pain shoots across my stomach and I grip onto the side of the bed, my teeth gritted together.

"Dad-get Alwin, please? I need him..." His eyes meet mine and he looks down, obviously torn about what to do. Alwin can't remember anything, not even his own wife and he'd probably think that its weird to be here watching her have a baby. "Please, I need him or else I'm not going to be able to stand this. He's still the father, even if he doesn't remember and I need him here."

I watch as my dad scrambles out of the room and I push my back off of the bed. Why is this happening to me? The baby's coming when his or her father has amnesia, how can things possibly get worse? Another pain erupts in my stomach, making me close my eyes. The pain lets up and I look over at the door as it opens. Alwin and my dad come walking in. My eyes lock with Alwin's and I can see a little excitement in them.

"You're having the baby? My baby?" he asks in a excited voice and I nod my head. Quickly, he walks to my side and sits down in the chair next to my bed. I look over at him and wish that he would remember me-everything about us. "I can't wait to see him!"

My eyes stay on him and I shake my head a few times. "We don't know what the baby's going to be."

"I know that the baby is going to be a boy-I can just feel it. Can't you feel it?" His eyes dart around the room and I rub my belly. What if the baby isn't a boy? Alwin will probably be heartbroken, well amnesia Alwin will be heartbroken. How long is he going to be like this? "How long is it going to take? I really can't wait to see him!"

My eyes shut and I try to ignore the pain, but it comes back. It seems like its been hours or maybe even days and I'm still laying here, in pain, Alwin falls asleep and I take a deep breath, taking his hand in mine. Slowly, I play with his fingers.

"I promise that you'll get your memory back and we'll live happily together for the rest of our lives. Alwin, I love you," I whisper the words and kiss his hand. "My Alwin, I need you..."

His eyes stay shut and I look down at my belly, rubbing it. I hope that his amnesia goes away before the baby comes. From what I know, this could take a long time. So far, I know I've been in here for at least two or three hours. A light irritated sigh comes out of my parted lips and I shut my eyes, preparing myself for the next contraction. Why does giving birth sometimes take forever? Can't I just come in here, have the baby and leave?

"Ace," mumbles Alwin. I look over at him, my heart skips a beat and notice that his eyes are still closed. My mind starts to race as I wonder what he's dreaming about, whatever it is I hope that its good. His hand clamps onto mine and he lets out a light sigh. "Always...my Ace..."

Tears build up in my eyes and another contraction hits me, making me squeeze Alwin's hand. His eyes snap open and he looks at me, in pain. Lightly, he brushes the hair out of my face and makes me look at him. Soothingly, he tells me that everything is going to be okay and that it will all be over soon.

"What were you dreaming of? Do you remember anything else?" I look into his eyes and he gives a slight shrug. "You said...my name twice and I was just...curious..."

He nods his head. "I was dreaming about you, but it made no sense. We were eight, you fell out of a tree and broke your arm. You were crying and in a lot of pain."

"You remember that? It was the first time that you..." I clear my throat and look down at our hands, smiling because he remembers something. "It was the first time that you called me Ace. Your memory seems to be coming back a little. Do you remember anything else?"

"I remember...the arena and someone named Beth. Someone named Ashlee," says Alwin and he shrugs. My smile widens and I stare at him, happy that he's starting to remember things. "But the person who I remember most is you. For some reason you keep popping up."

Another contraction comes and I lift my back off the bed. Oh, this kid is going to be a handful.

**Woo! Okay, the baby is coming! :) I hope that all of you liked that and I can't wait to type out the next chapter. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. **

**PLEASE READ: Most likely there will not be an update next week-but there will be one the following week. **


	32. Chapter 32: Not Real

**Hey everyone! Okay, short A/N up here-I promise because my A/N at the bottom is really long and you'll see why. Thank you to all of you for all of the support, reading, reviewing and everything else. I really have to thank The Pen My Sword, It-Was-Enchanting, TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta and Mockingjay272.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**Thank you to my AMAZING Beta Beth, who is back on! :) :) :) :) Who I have missed! She posted a new chapter, which is amazing, make sure to check her out! :D **

My eyes stay on the wall as I grit my teeth together. Ten hours so far and no baby, which is driving me insane. How can a birth take this long? Right now the only thing that is helping me keep my sanity is sitting next to me and trying to make me eat ice chips. Why is that the only thing that we can have back here? Alwin's hand comes back in front of my face and I see the dreaded cup. Little by little he's starting to remember everything and that's making me feel a little better, until the next contraction hits me. I take the cup from him and put it down on the table beside me, knowing that if I throw it he'll probably freak out or something. His hands go to my stomach and I look over at him, seeing the wide smile on his lips. Leaning towards me, he smiles wider.

"Ace, I remember the wedding..." his voice is soft and velvety. I smile at him, but my teeth stay gritted together and I know that it must be a horrible smile. Leaning in towards me, he kisses me once, lightly on the lips. When he pulls back, I think about everything that we've been through together and how I wouldn't change one moment of it-except for the horrible mission that he went on. "How much longer do you think? The doctor said that you're moving along fine and that the baby should be here in a few hours."

"A. Few. HOURS? You can honestly look at me and act like that's nothing?" A fire lights up inside of my eyes and they go wide. I grip onto the sheets as another pain erupts through my stomach. Looking at our hands, I realize that I'm cutting off the circulation to his hand and I loosen my grip. "How can I go through this for a few more hours? This is horrible and I just want to see the baby."

Tears start to rush down my cheeks and he leans in, wiping them away. His face is close to mine and I look into his eyes, trying to concentrate on him. When the door opens, we both look to see Doctor Gentry standing in the doorway and there's a huge smile on his lips. Slowly, he walks into the room and looks at the two of us.

"We are moving you into another room and you are about to see your baby for the first time. Are you two ready?" Fear freezes me and I look over at Alwin, frantically. One of his hands go up to my face and he strokes my cheek, as the doctor picks up my chart. "There is nothing to be afraid of, Mrs. Coin. Everything is going to be over soon and you'll have your baby in no time. The worst is over."

**Two Hours Later:**

Trying one of the breathing exercises I get ready to push again, hoping that the baby comes out this time. I look at Alwin, who's smiling at me and it makes me want to yell at him. Biting my tongue, I look back over at Gentry and he starts talking to me again. Every few seconds he changes the topic, but we always end up back at how well the birth is going and how it will be any moment now.

"Acacia, we need you to push again and this time it has to be a harder push. Ready?" Nodding my head, I grit my teeth together and push as hard as I can. Breathing hard, I suck in a deep breath and feel Alwin's hand on my cheek. Looking at him, I take a deep breath and push again. "That was a good one, a few more and the baby will be here. Come on Acacia, think about holding the little baby for the first time."

Nodding my head, I suck in another breath and push as hard as I can. The pain is gone from my stomach and I fall back onto the bed, hearing the cry from our baby. Alwin stands up, kissing me on the lips and gripping onto my hand as he stares at our baby. I open my eyes when the baby stops crying and look up, to see Doctor Gentry standing in front of me with our baby in a yellow blanket in his arms. With a wide smile, he hands the baby to me and I look down at our baby, tears filling my eyes.

"Congratulations, its a girl." I look up at him and feel more tears rushing down my cheeks. Looking back down at the baby, I feel my heart swelling twelve hours of labor and it was all worth it. "I'll give you three a few minutes alone and let your families know."

The door closes and I look up at Alwin, afraid that he's going to freak out about our baby being a girl. When I see his eyes, the way that they light up, I know that he loves her already and the smile on my lips widen when I see him hold her for the first time. He sits down and smiles down at the baby, just by seeing the expression on his face I know that everything is going to be okay.

"What are we going to name her? Do you have any ideas?" His voice is light and soothing, as he looks down at her in awe. I shrug and yawn, knowing that I'm going to pass out soon I snuggle into my bed. "Ace, did you have any plans for her name? Anything?"

I give a slight shrug and shake my head. "No, I haven't had any ideas, but I'm glad that she's here. This is all that I can possibly ask for when it comes to her. After everything that the three of us have been through, she's here and well. How...how can it be?"

"She's our little miracle. I have an idea for her name though," says Alwin, looking down at her and kissing her lightly on the top of her head. My eyes stay on him and I can't help but smile, knowing that he's going to be the perfect father to her. "But I don't know if you'll like it that much. We can throw a few names around, what do you think about that? Just a few random ones?"

"Just tell me the one that you've been thinking about. I can see the twinkle in your eyes, tell me?" He smiles at me, standing up and giving me back the baby. Gently, he sits down in bed with me and wraps his arm around me. Lightly he kisses me on the top of my head and I snuggle into him, holding our baby close to me. "Please? I really want to know what you want to name her and its probably a lot better than anything that I could ever think of."

"Do you really want to know?" His eyes are locked on me and I nod my head, smiling as I wait to hear what he wants to name our baby. "The name means a lot to me, you didn't know this but I had a little sister and she died a week after she was born. Lauren Bethany Coin."

A smile forms on my lips and I lean over to kiss him. Looking down at our little Lauren, I can't help but smile. She is the most beautiful baby that I have ever seen and I love her more than I ever thought that I could love anyone. My eyes stay on her and I feel like she's going to disappear if my eyes close for a second. Her eyes are a light blue, but I know that they will probably change and I have hopes that she'll have my green eyes.

"I'll take her and you can sleep for a little while." Alwin takes Lauren in his arms and I snuggle into him, not taking my eyes off of her. It's as though I can't believe that she is real. "Ace, you need to get some sleep. The two of us will still be here when you wake up, I promise."

Letting out a deep breath, I shut my eyes and give in, knowing that he's right. I need sleep, but something feels...wrong. Opening my eyes, I peek at Lauren and I know what it is. Now that she's not inside of me anymore, I cannot protect her like I have been able to. Fear is rising up inside of me at the thought of being separated from her. How am I supposed to be able to sleep after all of this? After I just realized that I can't protect my daughter? What am I supposed to do?

"Ace..." his voice is low, but stern. Closing my eyes, I lay my head on his shoulder and he rubs my back. I feel myself slipping into sleep, but I try to fight it. "I love you two more than anything..."

Yawning I nod my head. "I love the both of you too. Lauren is the most beautiful baby that I have ever seen."

"I know," whispers Alwin, the smile on his lips is clear in his voice. He pulls my blanket up and kisses my hand. "Go ahead and get some sleep. Like I said before, we'll be here when you wake up and you'll get some more time with Lauren-I promise."

My eyelids are heavy and I can't fight it any longer. I let out a deep breath and fall asleep. Everything is perfect and I hope that it can stay that way for a few days, our beautiful baby is here. How can I love the two of them so much without bursting? Just looking at the two of them makes my heart swell and this is when I know that saying no to her is going to be something that will be hard for the two of us.

In my dreams, she has my green eyes and his dark hair. She lays there, smiling up at me and making my heart beat faster when she starts to crawl, walk. Her hair gets longer, she gets older, but no matter what she is still the beautiful little baby that I held in my arms just seconds ago. Our little girl. She will always be our little girl, our little Lauren Bethany Coin.

**Thank you to two people who have supported me for a long time and who the baby is name after:**

**The Pen My Sword (Lauren): There is so much that I want to say, first off thank you so much! You were my second reviewer on the first story and have always supported me-I still have the message that you sent to me that made me cry because of what you said and I look at it from time to time. You have influenced this story in many ways and my writing. Without you, I don't know if the story would be the same and you have truly been there since the beginning. I really don't think that I can thank you enough for everything and I hope that you like the baby, my little "surprise" for you. She has been in my mind for a while and I can't imagine naming her anything else, mainly because I feel like you are a huge part of the story. Thank you so much for all of the support and I am so happy that you found this story, who knows where this story and I would be without you? My first real supporter of this series.**

It-Was-Enchanting (Beth): I know that you already have a character in here, but I wanted to give this character the names of two people who mean a lot to me and you're one of the most wonderful people who I've met on here. When you first found me on here, I remember that we hit it off from the start and we are now each others Beta's, which I have to thank you for. Thank you so much for all of the support and for putting up with me for this long. Without you the baby wouldn't be here and I am so glad that she is! You've always told me your honest opinion on everything and told me how to make my stories better. A part of you is in the story and has been from the second that you found it and I am so thankful that you stumbled onto this story.

**WOO! Done! Okay, the baby is here and I don't know how to feel. She's been in my mind for so long and planned for so long, now she's here. :( Hopefully all of you like her! I feel weird now that she's out in the open and not just in my mind anymore. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. (TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta, I have an idea for the name that you suggested too... ;)**


	33. Chapter 33: She's Back

**Hey everyone! Let's see what all of you think about the new chapter? THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you amazing people who are reading and reviewing this story. I really love writing this story and hope that all of you like it. This story is the last one in the series and its sad for me. This story means a lot to me, so thank you to all of you for sticking by it and supporting it. When this story comes to an end I don't know what I'm going to do...**

**~Update is late because I haven't been feeling good.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**~This chapter is dedicated to TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta, you're review had me almost start crying when I got the e-mail for it. I hope that everything goes good for you and your family. My heart broke when I read that part and I hope that he beats it. **

My eyes flash open and I look around, confused. I look down, seeing my hand on my stomach I remember yesterday and feel panic rising up inside of me. Someone touches my arm and I jump, but when my eyes lock with his, I let out a deep breath. Our little girl is sleeping in his arms, making me feel like I'm about to cry. Alwin smiles at me and takes my hand, kissing it. Sitting up, I look into his eyes and his smile widens, as he watches me. Looking down at my belly, I think about when she was in there and now it feels so weird having her out here in the open. How am I supposed to ever leave her?

Reaching out to him, I smile at him and he takes my hand. Laying my head back down, I look up at the two of them. Carefully, he leans down and presses his lips to mine, making my heart skip a beat. Closing my eyes, I allow myself to get lost in him and feel how I always have about him. The love that we have always had has not weakened, but has gotten so much stronger. Lauren has brought us back together and I know that this is just the beginning to how wonderful she is going to make our lives.

"Hello there, beautiful," whispers Alwin, lacing his fingers through mine. We look down at our little girl, then he does something that surprises me, he stands up and sits down in the bed beside me. "I told you that we would be here when you woke up. I love you, Ace."

Smiling up at him, I can't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. Gently, he brushes the tears away and kisses me on my forehead. "I love you too and I'm sure that I'm anything but beautiful. After giving birth, I must look like a monster or something."

"No, you don't. Ace you are-," he cuts off as the door opens and we both look up. Lauren stirs in her sleep and I look back at her, hoping that he's not here to deliver bad news. Silently, all that I can ask for is for some happy time with my new family. With my little daughter, who is so beautiful and is the center of my world. "Is something wrong? Please, tell me out in the hallway-"

"No, stay in here. I'm going to find everything out anyways and now that Lauren has been born...I can fight again," I whisper the last few words, the fear of leaving my daughter alone and fighting for a better future for her flares up inside of me. "Dad? Uncle Odysseus? What's going on? Please, just tell me that you're here to see your granddaughter and great-niece."

The two of them walk farther into the room and I notice that they are both tense. Lauren starts to cry and Alwin hands her to me. Thankful for the distraction, I focus all of my attention on her and hold her tightly to me, until she dozes off again. I look up at my uncle, pleading him with my eyes and praying that nothing has gone wrong. One of Alwin's arms wrap around me and I snuggle into him, wishing that we could stay like this for forever. With each step that the two of them take towards us, the more that my anxiety grows.

"Acacia, everything is going to be alright...but we have to start planning the invasion and since you had the baby, you're now apart of it," says Odysseus, making me let out a deep breath. He stares at me and looks down at the little bundle in my arms. "She is beautiful, the same as you looked when you were born. The little girl has that...Yarrow gene, I can see it and that means fire."

Looking over at Alwin, I see him sigh and shake his head. "That's the first thing that drew me to you, hopefully she doesn't have it. Chances are I won't be able to stop her any better than I stopped you. Odysseus, when are they talking about having the invasion?"

"In about a month or two and from what I know of, both of you are signed on to go on it. Has that changed now that the little ones here?" My eyes dart over to meet his and I know the answer, no. Obviously, my uncle knows too, because he nods his head and rubs his hands together. "You two get some rest and enjoy some time with her. Alwin is expected in training in two days. Aca...you will have to be there after two weeks and the reasoning is because they want your body to heal after giving birth. Do not give me that look, I invented that look."

That makes me giggle and shake my head. He walks over to the side of my bed and holds his arms out. Just by looking at him I know what he's asking, the smile on his lips makes me nod my head and hand little Lauren over to him. He holds her tightly to him and starts talking to her, kissing her on the forehead. My eyes stay on the two of them and I'm shocked by how he looks at her. When he looks over at me, his smile widens and he shrugs as my little girl stares up at him, with wide eyes.

"I did the same thing when you were born. This little girl is going to be trouble, I could tell the same thing when you were born," he says, his smile widening. He chuckles as he looks down at her and starts talking to her, walking over to an empty chair and sitting down. "Well, well, well...you don't want to be stubborn like your mommy do you? Oh, I know sweetie, I know...its just one of the downfalls to getting the Yarrow gene."

Shaking my head, I look up at my dad and notice that he's giving me a sad look. I raise my eyebrows and he shakes his head. My eyes stay on him as he walks over to his brother, whispers something and walks out of the room. With one last look at my daughter, my uncle stands up and brings her back over to me. Gently, he takes my hand and squeezes it. Our eyes stay locked for a minute and then my hand drops to the bed, as he walks out of the room. My mind is full of questions and the answers, are going out the door with the two of them. I will find out soon, that is one thing that is clear and when I do, all hell will break loose.

"Ace? Are you alright?" His lips are pressed against my forehead and he gently kisses it, brushing his fingers through my hair. "Honey, you don't have to go on with this if you don't want to. I can tell that you're against this whole thing now and we can't leave Lauren-"

"No, I'm going." My voice is filled with the fire that it always has been and my stubbornness is coming out. We stare at each other and I look down at our little girl in my arms. One of us should stay, but that one person is not going to be me. "Why don't you stay with her? Alwin, I have to end this."

"There is no way in hell that I'm letting you go out there without me, do you understand that? You're my wife and I love you, I have to protect you," whispers Alwin, his voice fierce. I look up at him and brush my lips against his, letting out a light sigh. Looks like little Lauren is in trouble now, we are both stubborn and have a fire inside of us. "Ace, we aren't separating. Lauren will be safe back here in District 13, until we return-unless you want to stay here with her. She was just born and I know that you don't want to leave her."

My eyes stay on him. "Do you want to leave her?"

We both know the answer, the silence shows it and we both look down at our little girl. I'm going to be in the fight and no one is going to stop that. My eyes flicker up to his and he smiles at me, making me shake my head a few times. Maybe after everything is settled we can leave District 13, maybe...but if I leave I know that I'll just want to come back. This is my home and I love it. District 13 is a part of me and is who I am, nothing will ever change that. But to be happy and whole, I need Alwin and Lauren.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting..." Looking up, I see a little girl with dark brown hair that falls to her waist. She smiles at the two of us, a kind smile. "I was just informed that tomorrow morning you both will be needed in command, its rather important and I think that you'll both like the news."

I stare at the woman and tilt my head to the side. "What's the news?"

"I thought that you would ask that," she says, walking farther into the room. Her light green eyes stay locked on me as she stops at the end of my bed. "This is something that I think you're going to love, little Jabberjay. How about you make a guess first?"

"How about you just tell me?" She laughs and shakes her head a few times. "Who are you?"

"Emma Lelong," she says in a light voice. I stare at her and she lets out a sigh, letting me know that she's just going to tell me what's going on. Confusion courses through me as I watch her sit down on an empty chair. How old is this girl? "I was brought here by someone and we are here to help you. You want to overthrow the Capitol, don't you?"

I stare at her, my eyes studying her and I wonder who she's talking about. "Who brought you here? Emma?"

"Someone who is very well known." A wide smile creeps across her lips and she leans forward a little, making me do the same. Her eyes are full of excitement and happiness. "The Mockingjay is back..."

**WOO! Hm, now why would Katniss come back? *Smiles evilly* Looks like you'll find out next week! Hope you liked it! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**

**New chapter coming next week! **


	34. Chapter 34: AN Please Read

**Hey everyone! I just found out today that I'm nominated for Best Author for my Hunger Games fanfics and I am still in so much shock. Thank you to all of you for the support on my stories, when I first found out I almost started crying. Thank you to my Beta Beth, for helping me and for telling me. And thank you to 2q2q1 for nominating me. More updates to come soon. Go to the form 2011 Summer Hunger Games Awards, vote under Best Author. Thank you! :D**

***~KelsNicole~***


	35. Chapter 35: She'll Risk Anything

**Hey everyone! WOO! Here's the new chapter and I hope all of you like it. We'll be getting to the fight soon and that means closer to the end... :'( I hope that all of you like the series and had as much fun reading it as I've had writing it.  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

******~My updates might not be on the same days anymore, stress and other things are making it harder. But I will always update.**

I look up as she walks into the room, not smiling and her long brown hair pulled back into a single braid. She looks over at me, with cold, harsh, gray eyes. Carefully, I sit up and wonder why she's here and what she would want from me. From the way that she's staring at me, I know that some how I need to help her with something. The way that she walks around the room makes me more nervous, more on edge. Playing with my fingers, I try to calm down but it doesn't work, so I try playing with my sheets. My mind goes to little Lauren and I smile a little, thinking about the first few seconds when I first held her in my arms.

"So, you're the Jabberjay now? Seems like we have something in common," says Katniss, with her hands behind her back as she walks around. Her eyes stay on the walls and she shakes her head a little, every few seconds. "They're going to want us to work together, but I should warn you-if you do this...you can loose EVERYTHING. You have to think long and hard about everything that you can't stand to loose."

"I already have and I have to do this." She looks over at me, a pitiful expression on her face as she walks over to me. When she reaches me, she stops and sits down across from me, just staring at me. "I have to do this-end this. You went through this and you made the same choice."

Katniss nods her head and laughs, a bitter laugh. "There's one difference between our positions, _Jabberjay_. I had no choice but to do it, no one to fall back on and to take it over for me. But you do. Do you know what I lost in the war? My friends and my little sister. The one person who I always swore to protect, got killed and do you know what? My best friend made the bomb that killed her. I still have nightmares and currently, I'm in a living hell."

"Why? What happened to you?" I ask, staring up at her and seeing the pain in her eyes. The pain is hidden by the fire, that flares up and makes her eyes hard to read. "You came back, but not just because there's going to be another rebellion and it has to be something big."

"You're right, I didn't come back to become the Mockingjay again and it is something big. My daughter, Kailyn, she's been taken by the Capitol. I am here to take my daughter back," says Katniss, the fire flaring up in her eyes and looking as though they could burn right through someone. "I am not going to loose my daughter and will give anything for her. She...she has Prim's hair and she's a bit like her, but with my fire."

"You don't have to get her back alone, I can help." The words aren't fully out of my lips, before she looks over at me. "She's going to be alright, I know it. Katniss, you'll have her back in no time and you'll be able to go back to the life that you love, in the woods if you'd like."

"I've lost too much and I'm not putting my daughter's fate in any hands, but my own. Thank you, but I'm getting her back and with Peeta." Shaking her head, she stands up and paces around the room. My eyes stay on her, watching the way that she walks, as though at any moment she must be prepared to strike. "Now, its your final chance to get me to take your place. Jabberjay, would you like the Mockingjay to return and fight for the rebellion?"

Nodding my head, I bite my lip. "I don't want you to be the Mockingjay, but I want you to fight beside me. Don't you want to see Panem go back to a place where you can bring your children back to? Where your children can get married and live in peace?"

"That's what I fought for the first time, but look at what happened to it. After how much I fought and lost, the Hunger Games came back," says Katniss, her voice is hard and strong. She walks over to a chair and slinks down in it, pulling in on herself. She takes a deep breath and mutters, "I'm Katniss Mellark, Prim died in the war for Panem's freedom, I love Peeta, we have two children together. Kailyn and Diligo..."

"Ar...are you alright? Katniss?" She looks up at me and gives me a slight nod. We keep our eyes locked and she leans back into the chair, sighing. "I'm sure that Kailyn is aliv-"

"Of course she is! They don't want to kill her, no, they want her for another reason," mutters Katniss, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Didn't you hear? The President wants to give my daughter as a gift to his nephew! I will never allow that!"

I stare at her as realization dawns on me. Her daughter is about to be given away and they have no control over it. How would I feel if I was her? My little girl..no, I would die before I would ever allow that to happen. Sucking in a breath, I look over at her and shake my head.

"You understand where I'm coming from." She says it as a statement and not as a question. Her eyes dart around the room and she shakes her head. "My son is here with me and I'll do anything that I can to protect him. We will fight together and take the President down."

Right at that second, a boy comes walking into the room and he doesn't look like he's over sixteen. He smiles at me and looks over at Katniss. As he walks farther into the room, I keep my eyes on him and try to not stare, but its hard. The boy kneels down beside Katniss and takes her hand.

"Mom, we have to go to command. They want to talk about the possible ways to get Kailyn back," he says in a light and soothing tone. She nods her head and stands up, but before she leaves the room, she looks down at me. They stop and he looks over at me, a wide smile. "Hello, I'm Diligo Mellark."

"Acacia Coin..." The way that Katniss looks over at me makes me feel like I've said something wrong. Her eyes light up with fire and her glare turns icy. I stare at her in shock and look over to the boy, who shakes his head. "Is there something wrong?"

Katniss looks away from me and walks out of the room, without a glance back. "Diligo, come with me. NOW."

"I'm sorry, really-I am. She's not always...like this," whispers Diligo, before he follows behind her. But he stops at the door and smiles back at me, a sad smile. "A Coin...she helped kill my aunt."

My gaze stays on him as he leaves the room and I shake my head a few times. Well, I can see that she's not going to trust me now. By marriage I'm a Coin, but not by blood. Alwin's different, I know that but Katniss doesn't. She doesn't know that I'm different either.

Shutting my eyes I mumble, "Anything for Lauren.."

Right at that second my little girl wakes up and starts to cry. I get out of bed and walk over to her bed, smiling down at her. She looks up at me and waves her hands around a little. Carefully, I pick her up and hold her tightly to me. Quickly, I walk back over to my bed and lay down, holding her in my arms. Lightly, I kiss her on her forehead, making her smile a little.

"I love you Lauren," I whisper to her. "Mommy's going to protect you. You don't have anything to worry about, sweetheart."

"Aca?" I look up and see Alwin walking into the room. His eyes are wide and cautious, but when he sees Lauren, he smiles a little. Getting into bed with us, he pulls me into his arms and gives us both a kiss. "We're going to have to talk to Katniss more. She's not too for the idea of working with us to change everything."

I look up at him and shake my head. "Someone in your family helped kill her sister. Wouldn't you feel the same way? Hate them all? Want them dead?"

We both look down at Lauren and know the answer. Both of us sigh at the same time and I look up into his eyes, as he brushes the hair out of my face, gently kissing the tip of my nose. Laying my head on his shoulder, I shut my eyes and feel myself slipping away, knowing that I need rest. The rebellion is about to begin.

**Okay, I'm thinking the next chapter is going to show some training and then its time for the fight. :D Maybe some more Katniss and Acacia? What do you think? Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**

**~Thank you all so much for all of the support, I'm so sad that this one is almost over! I've been working on the Acacia series since I first got on here and I know that I'll be crying when I type the last chapter. Thank you all so much! **


	36. Chapter 36: Partners?

**Hey everyone! I am so, so, so sorry about the lack of updating. Long story short, I was sick on and off for a while, the last chapter of one of my stories took longer than I thought it would so it took me a little while longer to get to this update, but here it is and on my birthday! :) I hope that all of you like it!  
Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**~I forgot to do a shout out to the wonderful TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta in my other updates, thank you so much for that one review! I am fine now and it means a lot that you left that review. All of your reviews make me smile and make my day, I cannot wait to answer a question that you asked in your last review for Can Love Last?. **

I run as fast as I can on my final lap, but stop a few minutes later and bend over forward, taking a deep breath. Alwin runs up beside me and puts his arm around me. A small smile flickers onto my lips as I look up at him and into the eyes that I love so much. Leaning against him, I stand up and he kisses me lightly on the cheek. Sucking in another deep breath, I smile at him and squeeze his hand. We smile at each other and take off running, finishing our lap and both thinking about our next obstacle.

Slowly, I follow him and open my mouth to say something, but see Katniss walking towards me. Beth, Sophia, Alyssa and Ethan are with her. All of them stop walking and let Katniss come closer to me, a spark in her eyes. I watch her cautiously, unsure of what is about to happen. Alwin and I stop at the same time, as she takes one last step and looks at the two of us.

"I want to talk to you alone, Jabberjay," she says in a light tone. Crossing her arms, she stares at Alwin, as though he's supposed to already of left. "Or are you the Jabberjay now? I heard that your mother wanted to change that and why not? The first Coin tried to do the exact same thing, she is obviously power hungry." 

Alwin tenses next to me, gritting his teeth. Squeezing my hand, he looks over at me and I give a quick nod of my head. His eyes flicker back over to Katniss and before he leaves he says, "You want to always compare us to what someone else in my family did, years ago and what about you? Let me guess, the Mockingjay wants to come in and take over the rebellion? Since it obviously worked the first time."

My eyes stay on him as he walks over to our friends, watching as Ethan tries to touch Alyssa but she pulls away for a second, before leaning back towards him. Katniss clears her throat, calling my attention back to her. I look at her, feeling slightly aggravated as I think about what she wants. She starts shaking her head and sighs lightly, making me tense up for a second.

"I'm going with all of you on the mission. My daughter is still at risk..." Seeing the pain in her eyes, I nod my head and she glances over at the others. "The boy – Ethan, wants the girl to stay here and I can tell that Alwin wants the same for you. Both of you want that for the other one. Tell me, why do you feel like you have to be the symbol, after you gave birth to your first daughter just mere weeks ago?"

"The same reason why you're willing to risk everything to get your daughter back," I say in a strong tone. She grimaces slightly, obviously not happy with what I said because she can't use it to her advantage. "Why do you care anyways? I'm a Coin now, am I not disposable?"

"No one is disposable, except for the ones who want to ruin us and hold us back. You're fighting for us and not just for yourself." For a second, her eyes flicker to mine and I see a knowing look in them. "Do you know what you could loose? Everything, are you sure that you're willing to place all of that on the line. Everyone who you love, all of the people in the districts...everyone."

Nodding my head, I look around for something to do, anything. Seeing a knife station, I walk over and Katniss follows. Picking one of the sharp, long knives up, I aim it at the dummy's chest and throw it. Red liquid oozes out of where the heart would be. As I pick up another knife and aim it, ready to throw, an arrow shoots past me and sticks itself right in the neck of the dummy. I watch as the blood oozes out, from the place that the airway is. Dropping my hand, the knife gleams in the sunlight.

"I know whats at risk and I'm still here. The risk added up are less than what will happen if I don't try to change things." Turning, I look into her eyes and shake my head. My gaze flickers to the bow in her hand, making me feel slightly irritated, but I don't know why. She stares at me, her eyes wide and waiting. "Lauren deserves the best that I can give to her and she's going to get it, even if it cost me my life."

She's silent for a minute, but then a smile flickers across her lips. "You'll make a wonderful parent then. I would do the same for my children and I am. Kailyn needs me...she does not deserve this and I need to have her here with me. Having her in the hands of the enemy..."

"Katniss, I'll help you get her back – if you'll let me, that is. I know that you feel like you have to do everything on your own, but you don't," I say in a light voice, almost a whisper. "Together, we can save her and you know it. Just allow the Jabberjay and Mockingjay to work together. I have a feeling that we'll be stronger and unbeatable if we join forces instead of working against each other." 

"Maybe...we can work something out? I still don't know how much I can trust you." She looks away from me and pulls out another arrow. "Do you really believe that you can help me?"

I nod my head and sigh. "Would I suggest it if I did not believe it? Being a mother I know where you're coming from and if it was my daughter in danger like yours is, I would hope that someone would offer to help me. So, what do you say? Partners?"

"Partners," breaths Katniss and she gives a slight shake of her head, as though she made an idiotic decision. Holding her bow and arrow up, she lets the arrow fly through the air and hit the target again; this time right in the heart. "If you betray me, that will be you."

She walks off, leaving me staring at the dummy as the blood oozes out. A pair of arms wrap around me and I jump, until I look up and see who it is; Alwin. He kisses me on the tip of my nose and rubs my back lightly, as I lean against him. Everything is on me, on us. This is something that we have to do for our daughter and everyone else. One small thing, I cannot loose Alwin or else I loose a part of me. Solution to this? Make sure that Alwin stays behind, which is my next mission.

**Thank you to all of you for all of the support, I hope that you liked the new chapter and that you like the story so far. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. **


	37. Chapter 37: Stay A Rebel

**Hey everyone! Here's the new chapter for Jabberjay, we are getting closer to the end and its bittersweet. Acacia was my first ever Hunger Games Fanfic and I've loved every second of writing these – as I do all of my stories. I will be sad when I'm done writing this one because it is the end, but happy at the same time. I have done everything that I truly wanted to do with this series and love it with all my heart. I hope that all of you have enjoyed it and I have to thank all of you for the support. Acacia will always be one of my favorite characters and the story will never truly end in my mind.  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**~After this I should be starting a SYOT. :)**

Standing beside Alwin, I hold my breath and pray that nothing goes wrong. He kisses me gently, as he strokes my cheek. Today we're leaving on the mission. The worst part is not that Alwin is going with me, but that we're being split up into two different hovercrafts. My lovely mother-in-law saw this as the best way, just in case something were to happen on the way to the Capitol. After my stomach settled and after hours of screaming at her, I lost the battle. He squeezes my hand and gives me one last kiss, before following half of our troops onto a hovercraft. Biting my lip, I try to follow, but Odysseus stops me and I glare at him. He just smiles at me as though everything is just dandy. Crossing my arms, I step to my left and he steps to his right, smirking at me as if amused by me. I fake moving to the left again, then go to the right, moving past him, but his arm moves around me swiftly. Twirling in his arms, I duck and put one of my hands on the ground, kicking one of my legs toward his, knocking his legs out from under him. He falls to the ground, but pins me.

"Nice try Aca, if you remember correctly I am a victor too. Give your uncle some credit here," he says in an amused tone. He stands up and pulls me up with him. While my eyes flicker to the hovercraft, watching the door slide shut, his stay on me and I know that my body must be giving away how irritated I am. "We have our own hovercraft to get onto. Don't worry, your father is with him -"

A hissing sound comes out of my parted lips and I stare at him in shock. Why would they send my father with Alwin and my uncle with me? He turns and starts walking to our hovercraft, with me walking up beside him and whispering, "Why did they send them together and us together?"

"Let's be honest here, who would you listen to more? Your father or your uncle? Everyone knows that you, well for the most part – listened to everything that I've told you." He shrugs and steps inside, walking around, he smiles at me as he holds onto a pole. "Tell me, weren't they correct? You enjoy being a rebel."

"I do not. Why would you even say that to me?" We stare at each other and I know that I'm the one who's lying, so does he. Everyone knows how I am – even my own father. Hell, that's where I got it from. A little bit of fear sets into me for a second. "Do you think that I'll fail, because I'm a rebel?"

Someone walks up behind me and I hear Katniss's voice, "We know that's what will make you win. A rebel is meant to lead a rebellion, hold onto that side."

* * *

When the hovercraft lands, I run over to the door and Odysseus has to stop me before I attempt to run through the door. He shakes his head when I look at him and rolls his eyes, at the same time as I do. The door opens far enough for me to squeeze out and I look around, frantically. Seeing the other hovercraft a few feet away, I let out a deep breath and sigh, that is until my uncle walks up behind me and pulls me back. My back meets the metal with a thud, we glare at each other as he points his finger at me and I know that we're going to be disagreeing a lot while we're here. What did I do wrong this time? Absolutely nothing, but in his eyes, obviously I did something wrong.

"Acacia, what were you thinking? What if someone had been out here – waiting to attack? You'd be dead in the blink of an eye," he growls at me, making me roll my eyes. This only aggravates him even worse, because his ears turn a dark shade of red. "Listen to me and listen to me good, you are to be more careful while we're here. This is just like in the games, you can be fine one second and the next, you'll have a knife lodged in your heart."

I roll my eyes at him as everyone starts to get off of the hovercrafts and look around. Leaning back against the metal, since I'm not going any where until he lets me, I hiss, "I'm perfectly fine and the symbol of the rebellion. Here, I can't afford to be weak and think of myself. This is all for Lauren, Alwin and everyone else."

"Yes, for your daughter and your husband," says Odysseus in a light voice, making me tilt my head as he takes a step back. His eyes are still on me as he takes a deep breath. "Fight for them, but try not to die – for them. They'll be broken beyond repair without you."

He walks off as Alwin walks over, looking confused. I smile at him and he kisses me gently. Wrapping my arms around him, I hug him to me and never want to let him go. Being away from him for even a few seconds was pure torture, if something happens to him here how am I supposed to go on? Taking his hand, I lead him over to a large fire that the others have started and they all look at us. Just by the way that they look at us, I know that one of us or both of us are going to be protected – and I think that one person is Alwin. This puts me a little more at ease, knowing that he'll be a little safer. My eyes flicker onto Alyssa and Ethan, the two of them looking down. Alyssa whispers something to Ethan, before lightly kissing him on the cheek.

"Okay, we're breaking into groups of two for each tent – there will be six people in a tent. Two people from each tent will be up around the clock," my dad says in an authoritative voice, letting all of us know that there's no way around this. He looks at all of us, his gaze lingering on me. "We all have to work together and keep our eyes open. In a few minutes, we'll be handing out a few weapons to each of you and then, we'll start preparing for tomorrow. Not all of us will come back..be prepared for that."

Squeezing Alwin's hand I smile at him once before walking over to the table and getting a backpack, a small smile forms on my lips when I see all of the knifes. I never miss my target and I never will, not when it means most. My gaze flickers over to Alyssa, who's pulling her hair back in a ponytail and doing a few warm ups; her bag almost right next to her. Walking over to her, I smile join her.

Bending forward, I smile at her. "What's going on with you and Ethan now?"

"I don't want to go into a war zone, knowing that one of us might die without him knowing the truth. Of course, its something that he probably already knew," says Alyssa, shaking her head. I look over at her, confused and she sighs before smiling at me. Her cheeks turn a light red. "I..love him and always have..."

"You two deserve a chance together. Give him another? I know that he loves you." She looks at me skeptically and I smile at her, knowing that they'll get their happily ever after. "Aly, he loves you too – I know it and I've seen it. Ethan will do anything for you."

She shakes her head and smiles at me. "As will Alwin for you. Aca...please be careful? I..don't want to see you get hurt or killed..you're my best friend."

I hug her tightly and know that this could be the last time. We've both faced life and death situations before, but sooner or later both of us know, that our luck will run out. Hopefully, its not within the next few days, because we need all the luck that we can get.

**Okay, do you guys want the battle to begin in the next chapter or the chapter after that? I could do a little Alwin and Acacia before the battle, if you would like? I'm leaving this one up to all of you. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**


	38. Chapter 38: A Little Surprise For Me

**Hey everyone, here's a new chapter. This story is so close to the end and I'm in shock about it – yet I'm so very happy at the same time. Once the story is over, I'll be sad but I did everything that I wanted to with this series. No matter what, the story of Acacia will keep going in my mind and she will never truly be done. I love all of these characters to pieces. Thank you so much for all of the support – I cannot say that enough.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~ I cannot say who's going to die, but I can say that there's a plan for someone to die who wasn't supposed to originally – it popped into my mind and fits, but I won't fully know until I type it. Things change in stories and don't always go the way that you think that they will – even for the writer. Aw! Thank you! I hope that I can live up to the expectations for my SYOT, which I plan on posting the application for next week? Maybe this week, I don't know yet. :) Your review makes me almost cry every time that I read it, knowing that you like my stories and that my writing has done that for you and a few others – it means a lot to me. I love writing and hope that others do too and maybe it brings out the writer inside of others. I've read the first book, but not the second and don't know how my writing style would go with it, but I'll keep that in mind and maybe give it a shot? Thank you!**

Alwin sits beside me as I look around, trying to not jump at every single sound that I hear. My eyes go to the fire and I try to focus on it; the flames making me feel slightly; better. I jump slightly, when he sits down beside me and turn to see Alwin, he hands me a cup of water and tilts his head as he studies me. Taking the cup, I sigh slightly as it warms my hands a bit and I look around, feeling a little more alert. His arms wrap around me and I lean against him, not really sure about what to do or say. In less than twelve hours we'll be in a war zone. Every single persons face flashes before my eyes, making me tense as see them dead.

Killing should not be necessary under any circumstances, for us to have freedom and to live without fear. Anyone who says otherwise either has never had to do it or gets a sick pleasure from others pain. This war is going to cost us more than just a few lives, our sanity and what we believe in. Of course, that changed when I got sent into the arena – I've never truly been the same, but then again have any of us who have gone into the arena and came back not have been affected by it?

"We can do this. You and me..." whispers Alwin, making my eyes close and I nod my head. Leaning against him I smile as he kisses my forehead. His grip tightens on me, making my eyes open and I look at him – his eyes have a serious gleam in them. "Listen to me, no matter what...you're going back to Lauren, alive. I don't care what I have to do or if you try to protest-"

Grabbing his face, I kiss him with all of the passion that I have in my body. He is not going to die for me, that is something that I won't allow. Why should I have to allow it and why should he be suggesting that he'll die for me? It's like a nightmare that will never end. "You know that I won't let that happen..you're not dying for me. I need you and if I loose you...I'll never be the same..."

"Lauren needs one of us to go back for sure and it should be you," he whispers, cupping my cheek as he looks into my eyes. Seeing the pain in his eyes, makes my heart ache and makes me want to agree to anything that he says – no matter what the cost, as long as it takes his pain away. "Think about it, Ace..."

"Please..don't make me...I...can't..." I whisper as tears form in my eyes, the thought of life without him is unbearable. Alwin and Lauren keep me sane, I can't live without one of them. He has always saved me and now I'll do anything to save hm. "I love you, so much Alwin. Please...don't leave me."

He kisses my nose, making my eyes close as I lean into him, knowing that this could be one of our last times together. I want to remember everything, the way that he holds me, the way that he looks at me with the eyes that I love and how he's willing to give everything up for me. "I love you too Ace..."

We both jump as we look up and see Odysseus standing in front of us, looking slightly irritated. He gives us a small smirk and gestures for Alwin to stand, making me tighten my grip on him. My uncle just rolls his eyes and walks farther over, kneeling down beside me as Ethan comes out of the tent.

In a light voice, Odysseus whispers, "I only need him to collect fire wood with me and I want you at the command center for a few minutes. Don't you give me that look, Acacia. Ethan can take over and he should get Alyssa up, because after you two come back its your turn to sleep."

"I'll see you in a few minutes." Alwin stands up, pulling me up with him. He gives me a small smile as we walk over to command, my body feeling slightly weaker from tiredness. "Here we are...just stay here and don't do anything, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes."

Inside the hovercraft, I feel alone as I stare at the control panels, not really knowing what I'm supposed to do if something happens. There's a big red button in the center next to a medium sized blue one and a smaller green one. Running my fingers over the edge, I shake my head – praying that nothing happens and I don't have to find out what any of these buttons are for. A loud buzzing sound makes me jump and I pick the phone up off of the wall.

"This is Dr. Gentry and I'm calling to let you know that you have a pregnant woman on the mission; who should be sent back as soon as possible." His words make me freeze as I wait to hear who's pregnant and remembering that he's probably waiting for a response, I make a light grunting sound that sounds like a 'yes'. "Acacia Coin, she's a few weeks along and I just found it at her last appointment. I expect her to be sent back and arrive later today."

Hanging up the phone, I look down and touch my stomach – feeling slightly ill now. It looks like this one is going to have to be a strong one too. There is no way that I'm going back now. I had to fight to be here and I am needed. All that I have to do is lie to everyone – keep it down, but they'll call later to see if the woman who's pregnant has been sent back. I need to come up with something and fast.

Seeing Odysseus and Alwin come walking closer to the hovercraft, I smile at the two of them. They both look at me as though they're expecting something. I stand up and clear my throat, a wide smile on my lips when I feel like puking all over the place. She's going to hate me for this...

Clearing my throat, I say in a calm voice, "I just got word from District thirteen, that Alyssa has to be sent back. She's pregnant and cannot fight in the war."

Both of them stare at me in shock as I walk outside, letting out a deep breath when I see Ethan. Dropping down beside him, I look into his eyes and know that he'll do anything to save Alyssa. It's clear as day in his eyes now and always has been. He nods his head, knowing that I want something and that I need him to help me get it. Touching my stomach once, he raises an eyebrow.

"You have to help me..." I say in a light tone, almost begging. "I have a way to send Alyssa back home, where she'll be safe..."

He tilts his head, not understanding. "How?"

"I just found out that I'm pregnant and told them that Alyssa is instead..." I say the words and it makes me feel eve worse. What am I doing to my best friend? Of course my words please Ethan. "You have to help keep this between the two of us right now and to help me make sure that Alyssa goes home...in the morning."

"Done.." he says in a light voice.

**Dun, dun, dun! Okay you got a little Acacia and Alwin at the beginning of the chapter, the next one will start the war. I hope that all of you liked this chapter and the stories. I am almost crying right now knowing that the series is coming to a close, I don't think that words could ever express how much I love this series and am so thankful for all of the support that each one of you have given me. This story means so much to me and these are where my Hunger Games stories first started. I cannot believe that I am almost done with the series, I'm in shock, but am so happy with how its gone. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**


	39. Chapter 39: Strong

**Hey everyone! We are so close to the end and I have to keep on thanking all of you for the support on the series. I have enjoyed every second of writing this and hope that all of you love it. This story means so much to me and its bittersweet to have it ending.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~ Oh, how I love getting e-mails for your reviews! :) Haha! I'm glad that you liked the Ace and Alwin fluff, that was fun for me to write and I haven't really written that for the two in a while. Loving or hating me? Hm, that's a bad place to be in...maybe this chapter will help? I think that you might hate me later on towards the end haha, but maybe not. Aw, thank you for that! The plot twist was a surprise to me as well, she wasn't supposed to be pregnant. Actually, I have everything figured out for this pregnancy and cannot wait to share it with all of you and I love all of those names – Emma. :)  
This response brought to you by...bold lettering. **

My body goes rigid as I watch a sleeping Alyssa being put in the hovercraft. Tears threaten to pour over as I realize what I have done to her – the lie that she'll find out that I told to stay and made her apart of. After today, I might not be alive again and all that I want...is for her to live. Ethan stays right beside me, his body perfectly relaxed as I remember how easily the lies spilled from his lips. In a sick way, we're partners in crime and this is a secret that both of us are willing to take to the grave. I watch as Alyssa's body slowly begins to move and panic hits me. What if she wakes up? She'd tell everyone that she cannot possibly be pregnant and it will be as clear as day that I'm the one who's pregnant. But I refuse to leave, this is something that I have to do and I hope that one day that Alyssa will forgive me. I'd understand if she doesn't though, who would do this to a friend?

"This is wrong, so wrong. Why did I have to say her?" I whisper to Ethan, wondering if he feels anything but happiness over sending Alyssa back home. Just from a glance I can tell that he doesn't. "Do you feel anything right now? Honestly?We just...lied about everything and sent one of our best friends back home for no reason."

"That was your idea, not mine and it worked out fine. We both got what we wanted, didn't we?" he asks in a light tone, making my stomach churn with disgust. "Look, if you could have sent Alwin back and not have to worry about him - the man who you love, wouldn't you do it, even if they might hate you for it?"

"Just shut up," I mutter, before turning around and my eyes lock with Alwin's. The way that he's looking at me is as though he can see through everything and like he knows what I'm hiding; who I'm hiding. "Alwin..."

He walks toward me and smiles, before kissing me gently. Taking his hand in mine, we both turn in time to watch the hovercraft take off. Leaning against him, I let out a deep breath and feel relief. They can't send me back now. My eyes flicker to Odysseus, seeing his eyes full of worry and sending a shiver down my spine. Just by one look, I know that he knows something, but that he isn't about to say anything about it. Even if he knows about my secret, its too late to do anything.

* * *

Pacing back and forth, I touch one of the knives strapped on me as I wait for the official word to start moving. Uncle Odysseus is in charge of my unit and guess who's separated? Coin thought that it was best if Alwin and I were separated for safety reasons. Every time that I those words run through my mind, I want to roll my eyes. If anything happens to him...and if there was anything that I could have done to help him, I will kill that woman if its the last thing that I do. My eyes flicker around as I try to see him one last time, but of course – he's out of my sight.

"Ace, you have to calm down or else the whole operation is going to fail. Just stay calm and Alwin's not an idiot or impulsive unless he's around you." I look to the left of me and see Odysseus standing next to me, making me grit my teeth when I know that he didn't mean it that way. "What? You both are like that around each other and I never said that it was a bad thing, but imagine how horrible things could go if you two were in the same unit. He would be trying to protect you and when he would, you'd try to get between him and the danger – causing more injuries. It's better this way, hun."

Ethan smiles at me as he holds up a small dagger, his eyes showing how relaxed he is. "I'm on your side the whole way, Aca. Don't worry, he'll be fine..."

"Great! Now I feel even better. You're with me." Looking down, I take a deep breath and watch as my uncle shakes his head, pressing a button on his wrist walkie-talkie. "Can we get started with this? I feel like we're too easy of a target here and that it would be better if we were moving."

The response that I get are bombs being dropped and I look around the corner at the tunnel leading into the Capitol in shock. Carefully, we take a step in – keeping our backs against the wall and praying that a train doesn't come through or else our chances of living are slim to none. Darkness surrounds us as we edge our way in, tree people behind my uncle and myself. None of us utter a word, too afraid of what might happen if we do. My mind starts racing as my uncle stops and shakes his head.

"We have to move faster and if we hear or see anything...we'll act on instincts because this is far too long and the train is late -" he cuts off as a light enters the tunnel, making all of us jump. He silences us as it moves right towards us and ushers us all back against the wall. It moves closer, with each second Odysseus gets a determined expression on his face. The train moves past us, but when the tail of it is going by, I watch as the last person grabs hold of the railing and the next thing that I know, all of us are hanging off of the end of it. "When we get to the end of the tunnel, we jump off and go from there. This is the smartest way that we can get there."

Holding onto the railing, I close my eyes and try not to think about what could go wrong here. All that I can hope is that the new baby is as strong as Lauren was during my first pregnancy. Thoughts hit me left and right, making me wish that Alwin was here with me or that I had at least told him that I'm pregnant again. What was I supposed to do though? He would have sent me back to District 13 as fast as he possibly could. My grip loosens slightly on the railing and I feel myself start to slide – but Odysseus and Ethan both grab onto one of my hands. I glare at Ethan as we get closer to the end of the tunnel, hoping that he can see it.

The light hits us and the next thing that I know, I'm laying on my back looking up at the sun coming up. My eyes flicker around as I sit up and rub my back. Yeah, I sure hope that this kid is ready for all of this because its only going to get worse as time goes on. Ethan pulls me up into a standing position and looks around us, there's something different about him – as though he's on a different kind of a mission than the rest of us are.

"We have to get moving and into the Capitol, we are to hide out until night fall." Odysseus starts to lead us away, but Ethan stops me and hands something to me. We both start moving when Odysseus starts to bark orders out and I look down at my hand, my Jabberjay pin sits there gleaming up at me. "There are a few abandoned houses that are going under construction over here and that's where we are staying for the day. Keep your mind ready for everything and be ready for an attack at any second."

Slowly, we walk down an ally between the houses and I hold a gun loosely at my side. My body tenses as I think about actually having to use it. The ally curves this way and that, making it seem almost like an endless maze. This could give away our cover and the sun is almost fully up. All of us stop at the same time as we look at the dead end, not sure whats going to happen next.

A door opens and Ethan is pulled in, darkness spills out of the house and someone hisses, "Get in here now.."

It's not like we have any other choice, in a few seconds the sun will fully be up and we'll be stuck. Quickly, we walk into the house. My fun is knocked out of my hand and the door slams shut, making me jump and spin around. The light turns on and my heart falters at the face that I see.

**Who do you think they are with? The real fight starts in the next chapter, I wanted to ease it in a bit and show what happened with Alyssa. We'll see what happens next with our lovely characters and I hope that all of you liked this chapter. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**


	40. Chapter 40: It Starts With A Bang

**Hey everyone! Time for the next chapter, which took me a while to write because I got stuck at the end and almost backspaced the whole chapter – even though I love it, but a friend who I had read it told me that it was good so I kept it. Here we are though. Thank you for all of the support on this story, it is close to the end and I hope that all of you like it.**

**Enjoy!**

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~ Haha! You'll see who it was at the door, but I can promise you that its not either of those two. You shall see what happens soon – I promise. **

I stare at the man in shock, seeing that he hasn't changed a bit. A woman stands beside him, holding onto a small little girl. Carefully, I take a step forward and the next thing that I know, I'm hugging him. He hugs me tightly and I shake my head in shock, he's here – he's really here. When we let go of each other, I clamp my hand over my mouth to stop anything from coming out. There's so much that I want to tell him, but no words come out. Slowly, I back up against the wall and he smiles at me. My body starts to tremble as I take everything in, tears blurring my vision and making it harder for me to think.

"Acacia Coin, its a pleasure as always to see you my dear. You look as beautiful, as always." He wraps his arm around Karla, looking slightly relieved. "I hope that the others found a safe house, we have a few scattered around the Capitol just in case it was needed."

"Cameron...you're putting everything at risk right now. Shouldn't we leave?" My eyes drop to the little girl who's reaching out towards her father as we stare at each other. Knowing that I would risk anything for my daughter, give anything for her safety."We can find some where else to hide – I don't want to risk all of your lives-"

One glare from him makes me stop talking, knowing that there's nothing that I can say that will change his mind. Walking outside at this moment would mean all of our deaths. "All of you will stay until night fall, it seems like they still have no idea that all of you have got into the city and we'll keep it that way as long as none of you try anything stupid. We got word from another safe house that group C-"

"Group C, which group is that? Alwin's group?" Desperation must be clear in my voice, because of the glances that I get from everyone else. Holding my hands over my stomach, I lean back against the wall next to Ethan. His hand taps one of mine and they drop loosely to my sides, knowing that I would give too much away if someone saw. "What's the plan for tonight then?"

Odysseus looks over at me, studying my every movement. In his eyes, I can see curiosity, knowing that he can see the change in me. "After nightfall, we are going to leave here disguised as citizens of the Capitol. I should warn all of you now, in a way everyone is on their own tonight. Poor Alyssa...I wish that she could be here with us, she was the best at hand to hand combat." 

My stomach lurches at his words, knowing that he is right and that my lie lost us someone who could have done so much better than I will. But there's no going back now. Sliding down the wall into a sitting position, I feel every pair of eyes zero in on me as tears start to pour down my cheeks. I didn't even tell Alwin, what if something happens to him? If we fail on this mission its my fault, its that plain and simple. How can someone like me be the symbol of the rebellion? Obviously its not because I'm smart or else I would have thought about everyone else, all of the citizens of Panem before I went and made this horrible choice. I have to tell them..

A ping makes me jump and I look up to watch my uncle messing with a small device, his eyes go wide before he looks over at me. Just by the look that he gives me I can tell that he knows, but shock is clear in his eyes along with disbelief. Shrugging, I wipe the tears off of my cheeks and know that I'm about to pay for keeping this secret – one that could have them leave me behind and short handed.

"I just got word from Alyssa that she is not pregnant. She seems confused and that's the last thing that I've heard from anyone from District 13," he says in a calm voice, making me tense waiting for when he starts yelling about my stupidity. "Acacia, mind telling me what exactly is going on and why you bothered to lie about a friend of yours being pregnant?"

I part my lips to say something, but no words come out. Shaking my head, I look over at Ethan who steps forward and smiles at Odysseus. "I made her go along with it so that I wouldn't have to risk loosing Alyssa. She's already risked so much and I was selfish, only caring if Aly lived and not thinking about everyone else. Odysseus, I made an error that could cost us much more than just a few lives and for that, I apologize."

Everyone tenses as their eyes move onto Ethan and I know that he just made things a whole lot harder on him now if everyone actually believes his story. It's not like its not believable, but by the way that everyone is glancing at me every few seconds lets me know that they aren't buying it. Right now, I can't say anything or else the whole mission will be over before I can even get the words out. Deciding that its best to stick with Ethan's story, I slowly nod my head and a fake look of relief appears on my face, along with a small smile.

"Which I would like to apologize for too, we both made an error but know that we can take down the Capitol – make things better for everyone." My whole body relaxes as I stand up, feeling like I can actually do this now. Everyone knows that the Alyssa being pregnant thing was a lie, but they don't know why. It's not like we lied, Ethan and I just didn't tell the whole truth. He was doing it to save Alyssa, that was his side. "Shouldn't we start preparing for tonight? It's not that long until we'll have to be back out there."

"You two are hiding something, I can see that and you know what? I will find out, one way or another.." He lets out a light sigh before nodding his head in agreement. "We should all probably get some sleep, I know that I'm dead on my feet. Cameron, I hope that you don't mind and we'll talk strategy when I wake up?"

An hour later, I'm laying on a bed and staring at the ceiling. Odysseus can still communicate with my father and I have to get rid of that after I tell Alwin the news. Looking down at the small black object in my hands, I sneak into a large room with a couch, a few chairs and a desk in it. Pressing the center button, I pray that we're on the same mind wave, that he would offer to stay up just in case something would happen.

"Group C, Solider Coin." Hearing his voice soothes me, making me want to start crying again. I don't respond for a few minutes, too nervous to say anything and knowing that as soon as he finds out that I'll have to get rid of our way of communication. "Are you there? Hello?"

Shaking my head, I turn the volume down and walk back into the main room. Everyone's still asleep as I sit back down. "Stupid hormones.." 

I look to the left of me and see Ethan staring at me, almost making me jump. He walks over and sits beside me, making me feel less comfortable. Pulling my legs up against my chest, I rest my chin on top of my knee caps. Trying to ignore him, I shut my eyes but he obviously doesn't take the hint because he stays next to me. His hand slowly rubs my back, making my body tense up before I look over at him.

"Tell everyone and stay here, its what is best for you and the baby."The way that he says it makes it all sound so simple, but I know that I can't do that. Everyone here is risking their lives and why should I be any different? I'm the symbol of the rebellion, not any of them. "Aca, think about it – really think about it. Is this what is best for that little innocent baby that you have inside of you?"

Of course, I don't get the time to think about it. The frame of the house begins to shake, loud crashes come from outside, almost making me scream. I fall into Ethan and he holds me steady, for the first time making me thankful that he's here with me. I don't know if this baby could handle a fall like Lauren magically did. Ten minutes later all of us are being crammed into different outfits. Standing by the door I look at my uncle, who's surveying the scene outside.

As the others step outside, I stop Odysseus and look into his eyes. He looks confused and aggravated that I stopped him. But when a tear rolls down my cheek, his eyes soften as he wraps an arm around me. Shaking my head, I pull away, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'm pregnant," I say, before following the others outside – not bothering to stop and look at his reaction. It's probably one of anger, one of disbelief.. "There's no turning back now.."

**WOO! Now for the fun to begin! Who's ready? *Evil laugh* I hope that all of you are because I have a few plans that will have some of you in shock... Now that I'm done with that, thank you for reading and please leave a review.**


	41. Chapter 41: Nothing Is Ever Easy

**Hey everyone, yes I am back again. Sorry about how long its been. There was an emergency in my family and for a month we did not know if the person was going to make it, which explains why I haven't updated in so long. Thank you for all of the support on this story and any others that you might have read, it means so much to me. I'll let you get to the update soon, I promise just one other thing I have a twitter account now, KelsNicole92 and am learning how to use it slowly so follow me. :)**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**~TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta: Haha, that would worry me if I lost you. Your reviews always make my day and have something in them that I don't expect or are just amazing in their own way. You might see his reaction in this chapter but something does happen in this chapter, so while all of you read it I'll be hiding lol. I want the posters! I have a new shirt for when the movie comes out and some magazines, but no posters yet. Effie looks epic – of course I love Effie, but I had to put that. Ah, that one question I might answer in the SYOT when the games start? I don't know yet, but chances are that yes I will but my idea might be different from others. Thank you for leaving your amazing reviews! **

Everyone is running, terror clear on their faces as they try to find a safe spot from all of the bombs. Odysseus and Ethan appear next to me, both of them standing beside me as though they are my guards and aren't going to back down without a fight. Great, just what I needed – something to point me out. This must make me look weak, maybe even fragile but that does not mean that I'm letting them do everything while I sit back and do nothing. The rest of our unit appears in front of me, making my eyes go wide in fear for them. Callie who is only twenty-five, she has two sons back home who only have her, who need her more than anything. Phillip who is only seventeen, his brother was killed for speaking out against the Capitol and his mother always told him that he had to get revenge for his brother's death. Sly, who's age I do not know and I don't know anything about, but just looking at him I can tell that he has someone or something to live for. All of us have something to fight and live for, and I know that I cannot let any of them die for me.

"Alright, we'll be meeting another unit in the run down part of the Capitol and that is where most of these...maniacs will be running off to. Stick together and we'll all get there in one peace," orders Odysseus, pushing us on before grabbing onto my arm. He keeps a tight grip on it, as though he can read my thoughts and knows that I was thinking of running off to the President's house to end this now. "Not now and you have another life in your hands, an innocent one at that."

I stare at him for a second, knowing that I have no choice but to listen to him, but that doesn't mean that I'm happy about it. Pulling my arm out of his grasp, I start to walk forward following the other three as Ethan and Odysseus walk as close behind me as possible before all of us start to sprint to meet the others as more bombs begin to fall. "Stupid Capitol...how I cannot wait until this place is nothing but ashes..then you will learn.."

We all get blasted back off of our feet as a bomb hits a building not even three feet away from us. I grunt when I hit a building with ragged edges, feeling nothing but pain erupt through my body. Touching the back of my head, I don't feel a bump or any blood. Quickly I stand up and look for the others, who are all on their feet but staring back in the direction that we had come from. A second later, they are all running towards me as I struggle to stand. Panic showing in their eyes, but I don't understand why unless the Peace Keepers have found out about us. Not even a second later, I see why they are all running. A cross over between a grizzly bear and a bison stares at me, as though it is programed for one task; to kill me at any cost.

"Aca! Lets get a move on before we're all dead! This is no time to stand there and question everything, be more like yourself now!" Uncle Odysseus grabs onto my arm and the next thing that I know, I'm dropped down into a large tunnel. Landing on my back, I stare up and watch as the others jump in, making me roll away to avoid having one of them fall on top of me. I look up in time to watch Odysseus start to jump, only to be ripped back up and his scream echoes around me; a scream that I swear I will never forget. "RUN! GO NOW, GET OUT OF HERE YOU IDIOTS!"

My vision blurs as someone grabs my arm and pulls me up, my cries of protest are hidden by my uncle's screams. I can't leave him, I just can't but his words echo around in my mind. If any of us go back, it won't help him, no that will only lead to our deaths. Wiping at my eyes, anger flooding through me, I start to run through the tunnel. None of us have an intention of stopping, Only looking ahead at what we have to do, but my thoughts are thrown out as soon as the screams stop, making my heart stop beating. His screams ending can only mean one thing. Blackness eats away at my vision, but I push everything away and try to focus on what has to be done. This is no time for my body to go into shock.

The tunnel begins to shake making my body tremble in anger and fear. Why does it seem like everyone is against us? Can't one thing go right for us on this mission? Doesn't it seem like since we are fighting for freedom and for others, that one little thing could go right? No, all of these obstacles have to keep popping up and taking everything away from me – why would I ever think that it would be any different?

Screams surround me a second later, one of the screams I know too well and we run forward. Pulling away from whoever has been dragging me along, I pick up my pace and sprint towards the sound. Running past empty halls, my heart begins to race as I think about the possibility that I might not make it there in time. Getting closer to the screams, I let out a deep breath, pulling out two knives as the tunnel takes a spiral curve upwards, making me feel like I'm about to fall over after the third time. When I stumble into the upper level of the tunnel, I stop in shock as I stare at Alwin and Katniss, who are fighting against a alligator, but something is off about this animal. Scorch marks from fire cover the floor and walls. Looking closer at the two, I see burn marks on them. A man hangs from a pipe over the two, screaming at the top of his lungs as the alligator opens its mouth again.

"Aca-," is all that Alwin gets out before he's blasted back, being hit by the alligator's tail in one quick movement. He hits the wall, the sound from his body hitting the wall sounding like a loud cracking sound and making me flinch. I look at him one last time before I lunge at the alligator. "ACE!""

Landing on the alligator, I feel the change in the animal. It starts to thrash around, trying to throw me off of it as I take one of my knives and jab it into one of its eyes, making it cry out in pain as blood gushes out onto the floor. Pulling the knife out, I try not to focus on the blood as I do the same thing to the other eye, but this time before I can pull the knife out, I am thrown back onto the floor, water swirling around me turning a bright red. Katniss stares at me, with knives in her hands, confusing me since she always uses a bow and arrow. Her eyes flicker to the corner and I see the broken bow in the corner before she pulls out a sword and goes at the animal one last time, going right through its heart. The body stops moving and Katniss pushes the alligator over as she pulls her sword out of it, not bothering to wipe off the blood.

"Alwin..." Quickly, I run over to his side and bend down beside him, tears rushing out of my eyes as he stares at me in shock. Kneeling down beside him, I grab onto his hand and shake my head a few times as everything settles into my mind. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine, what about you?" To my surprise he quickly stands up and pulls me with him, wrapping his arms around me as I cling to him, never wanting to leave his side again. He tenses for a second before pulling back and looking me in the eyes. "You were the one to call this morning, why didn't you respond to me? I thought that something had happened to you and couldn't think about anything else."

Since we are already in a tunnel and might soon be dead, right now is as perfect of a time as ever to tell him that we're having another baby, right? I mean, talk about perfect timing – who wouldn't want to find out that their wife is pregnant in a tunnel? "Alwin, I'm -,"

The sound of footsteps coming towards us makes me cut off and to my surprise Phillip and Sly come running into view, both of them covered in blood and bruises. A loud crashing sound comes from below, making the tunnel shake again as the two of them look around frantically for something. When their eyes land on me they roll their eyes and both look as though they are about to lecture me for running off, about being so careless. But I think that they both already know that if I could do it over, I wouldn't do one thing different.

"We have to get out of here and now. No questions, no talking about it – understand?" says Sly with an edge in his tone that I have never heard before. Not understanding, I nod my head and realize that Callie isn't here, making me part my lips about to go against what he just said. "I said no questions, follow that tunnel right up there. Come on, there's no time to waste and the demon isn't too far behind us."

We hurry through the rest of the tunnel falling and stumbling back downwards but fighting against it. Not breathing or uttering a single word. I take a shallow breath as I see the sunlight peeking in at the end of the tunnel, something that I thought I would never see again. I hear Phillip gasp once he looks out of the tunnel, but climbs out quickly, followed by Katniss. Unsure of what I'm about to get myself into, I grip onto Alwin's hand tighter as he climbs out of the tunnel and pulls me out.

My eyes go wide as I see that we are in a large gray room, the walls are a smooth and light gray. The light shines in from a window just above a bin that is labeled, SORT THROUGH and one beside it that says DUMP. We all look around in confusion until I see a door across the room from us, the handle gleaming at as and making us feel welcome. But none of us know what is on the other side of that door, do we take the chance or wait here until someone walks in to find out?

**Woo! Okay, for some reason I really loved writing this chapter and cannot wait to write the next. I hope that all of you liked it, thank you so much for reading and please leave a review. I love hearing what all of you think about my stories. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up by next Friday? **


	42. Chapter 42: Trying To Continue On

**Hey everyone! Sorry that this is a few days late, but busy weekend and a little sick, but I hope that all of you like it. We are nearing the end, which is still shocking to me but thank you so much for standing behind the stories and me. It means so much that all of you are still reading it. :) **

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**~TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta: Haha, I should have seen that one coming. But in all honesty, looking through the reviews makes me feel so happy and I cannot express how much they all mean to me. They help me continue to write. Ah, yeah those weren't planned but I like them – I actually named them Martin and Lucie lol. I looked that up and got a a little ways into it, haha I don't know what to make of it. Aww, thank you! He's doing pretty good now and I will always write, you don't have to worry about that. Writing is my first and only love at the moment. **

Pacing around the room, I glare at the door before slowly making my way towards it. How can a door taunt you so much? The not knowing part is what is driving me most insane; that our death could be waiting for us on the other side and that we wouldn't have a chance. Maybe I should just open the door and continue on, I mean...waiting here isn't helping us or anyone else. Who knows how the others are doing, they could be loosing horribly and need us to help them. Odysseus's words echo through my mind, making anger rush through me because I know that I can't just act and not think. Can't over thinking lead to horrible results, just like jumping in and not thinking at all? Even though he's gone now, I can still feel him with me; pushing me on.

Biting my lip as I think everything over, a thought hits me. Turning, I stare at the others as realization hits me. Two people who mean the world to me are not here, one person from each of our units and who I pray are alive. Rubbing my hands over my face, I walk back over to the others – needing to know where Ethan and my father are. Ethan, how did I not realize that he was missing before? I only knew that something had happened with Callie. As I walk closer, their whispers stop and they look up at me; almost as if they know what is on my mind. Phillip stands, as though he's the speaker for the group.

"I'm guessing that all of you know what I'm about to ask?" My tone is neutral as I cross my arms and stare at them, waiting for someone to jump right on in. When none of them do, I slowly nod my head and try not to start laughing at how insane this is. "Just tell me what happened to my dad and Ethan? Neither of them are here, but all of you are and I feel like I have the right to know what's going on."

Phillip rubs his hands together, his eyes turning from hard to gentle in a second as he sighs. "Your father is well from what we know of, he went off to help another unit after he got cut off from Alwin and Katniss. As for Ethan...he sent us away when Callie got attacked. He said something about having to keep you safe, but that he couldn't leave Callie alone. I don't...know what – happened to him."

Shaking my head a few times, I stare at Phillip not accepting what he said. Ethan is not dead, he has to be alive and fine – with Callie. The other idea is too unbearable and could never happen, so he has to be alive. Taking a step back, I lean against the wall, covering my face with my hands as I slide down it into a sitting position. Alwin's arms wrap around me as I start sobbing, knowing that if he is dead that its my fault and that Alyssa will always blame me for taking him from her. But can I really blame her? She would have been here to help protect him if I hadn't of lied to everyone. This is all my fault, everything is falling apart because of me.

"It's all my fault...it's all my fault..." I mutter under my breath as I hug myself to him. Shaking my head, tears roll down my cheeks faster as I try to not let the guilt take over. "Why did I have to lie about the baby? Alyssa didn't deserve that and now she's going to hate me."

His arms tighten around me as my body shakes worse than it had been a few seconds ago. When his lips brush against my forehead, I shake my head again. "Ace, you did nothing wrong and okay? Aly is never going to hate you and we'll find Ethan – he's alive, you and I both know it. Wait...what did you lie about?"

"I did, I did...lying about Aly being pregnant was only one of the things that you know about. You don't even know why I lied about it." Looking up at him, I rub at my eyes as I bite my lip. Sighing, I say, "Ethan wanted to send Alyssa back home, where she's safe and I wanted to stay here. Both of us had something that we wanted to do and someone who we wanted to help protect, but looking back..I see where I messed up. Alyssa's not pregnant, I am."

The look of shock that appears in his eyes as the words slip out of my mouth is one that will always be engraved in my mind. His arms loosen around me as he stares at me, allowing it to sink in as I scoot away from him; preparing myself for his anger. Shaking his head, he covers his face with his hands and sighs in frustration. I don't blame him for being angry with me, I'm angry at myself for lying to him. Everything that I've done wasn't right for anyone else and now I just put everyone into more danger. Our baby is in danger, something that I didn't think twice about before jumping into a war zone. With Lauren, I had no choice and this time I did.

Clamping my hand over my mouth, I try to stop the tears from falling. He reaches out to me again and I go into his arms willingly. "I'm so sorry, Alwin. You don't know how much I regret doing all of this and how much I wish I could go back and change it. Everyone is risking everything for the war and me..I only wanted to do the same for them."

"Take a deep breath and calm down. We're going to get through this and you're going to promise me that you'll never do this again," says Alwin as he rubs my back soothingly, making me calm down slightly. "You made a few errors and we are going to correct them together, I promise you that. Let's start with going on and finishing this in the safest way for you and the baby. But we have to keep going and leave all of the fear behind."

I watch him as he stands, looking over at the others with a small smile on his lips. He stares at the door, pacing back and forth slowly, rubbing his hands together. Stopping in front of the tunnel that we came in through, he takes a deep breath before looking at all of us, asking us with just his eyes if he should open the door – get it over with now. With a nod of my head, I stand and start walking towards him, but stop when he holds his hand up. Gesturing for me to take a step back, I do and bite my lip as my nerves take over. Alwin takes a step forward, slowly making his way to the door. Reaching his hand out, he touches the doorknob. Everyone's eyes stay on him as he starts to turn the knob, but a second later all of us jump as a figure slides out of the tunnel, landing a few inches away from Alwin.

"Gah!" The boy stands and looks around in shock, as he eyes all of the weapons now pointing at him. Coughing, he holds his side and waves his free hand at all of us; looking annoyed. "Nice welcoming, I missed all of you too! Geez, put those stupid things away before you hurt someone."

Stumbling forward, I wrap my arms around Ethan – happy to see that he's alive but when he squirms I take a step back. Looking him up and down, I close my eyes as I see the cuts on his body as he takes a ragged breath. He's still alive but with these injuries, I don't know for how long he will be. Turning away from me, he stumbles to the corner and tilts his head over a couch, making a series of gagging sounds as his body trembles.

"Stupid...mutts...killed Odysseus first and then Callie..." he chokes out before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. When he turns back to face all of us, the pain is clear in his eyes. Carefully, he takes a step forward and gives us a sly grin. "Are we going to finish this now or not? I think the sooner, the better."

Phillip walks over to Ethan, placing a hand on his shoulder as he shakes his head sadly. "You are going no where, my friend. Don't you see that you're in horrible condition and need rest? One more blow and you'll be gone, which is something that all of us would like to avoid."

"Now, now, you all are not getting rid of me that easily. I promised to help protect all of you and if I'm going to die, I might as well go out fighting." As he talks, he pulls a knife out of his waist band and holds it up. "So, now that we have that figured out – are one of you going to open the door or am I going to have the honor of doing so?"

All of us watch, far too much in shock to stop him as Ethan makes his way to the door. He touches the doorknob as though we are not walking out of the room to face our deaths but to put an end to his, help everyone who we've been fighting for with no fear. Pulling the door open, he sighs before looking back at us with a sad smile and gesturing for all of us to join him. Once he takes a step out of the room, he shakes his head a few times.

Turning back around as we follow he gestures around us. The carpet in the hall is a ruby red with golden lining, pictures hang on the walls perfectly on an off white wall. Pulling out a second knife, he whispers, "I think we're inside the President's house."

**The next chapter should be the bigger part of the battle, just wanted to give all of you a little bit of this. I hope that all of you liked this chapter. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. **


	43. Chapter 43: When Will This All End?

**Hey everyone!  
Sorry about the lack of updates but it might be this way again for a while, I'm starting college on Monday and going four days a week. I will continue writing, as always and hope that all of you enjoy the stories. Thank you for all of the support on the Acacia series and here's the next chapter.**

***~KelsNicole~***

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~ Where is one of my favorite people? I hope that everything is going okay. :) **

Pulling two of my knives out of my belt, I walk down the hallway, my eyes flickering around looking for any movement. Knowing that now we're walking into the middle of the war, I try to keep myself calm – one wrong move and everything is lost. Concentrating on my breathing, I push everything else out of my mind and only think about what I'm about to do. A staircase made out of concrete is at the end of the hallway, as quietly as we can, we make our way up the stairs and up another two flights. Taking a shallow breath, I stare at the gray door then glance at another flight leading higher up. Carefully, I hold one of my knives at an angle and open the door; seeing the scarlet colored carpet with golden outlining. The golden outlining extends inwards, towards the center of the carpet where there's a circle looking like the Capitol – small drawings of buildings etched in and covering the circle. Looking away from the circle, I see the thirteen districts, much smaller and less detailed.

Trying to step out into the hallway, I feel someone pull me back. Confused, I look back at Alwin only to be pulled back down the stairs. Ripping apart the room, we look find three uniforms for employees, which means that...some of us are going to have to stay behind. I look around us, noticing that one of us has already ran off; Katniss. I grab one of the uniforms and throw it on, storing my knives in the pockets before looking at the others – wondering who is going to join me.

"You know that I have to go along," says Alwin, quickly grabbing a uniform and holding the other one out to Phillip but Ethan and Sly both step forward, raising an eyebrow. "All of you can decide who the other one is to come with us. Right now, we have a bigger problem which is our whole cover being blown by the Mockingjay and it could cost us our lives. So, I'll give you three a minute and a half before I decide or just rip that uniform apart."

About ten seconds later, Sly is geared up and we're walking back up the stairs and into the hallway. Pushing the door open and entering the hallway, it feels like the first taste of freedom; something that most of us have been dreaming about since we were kids. The walls are a light golden color, with pictures lining the walls of past Presidents and their families. With each step, I take it all in until we reach the center – the hall turns into a circular shape where six hallways meet. All of the hallways start out the same way, the normal red carpet with gold on it, each of them telling about different events of Panem.

Right when I'm about to ask the other two what they think, I look back down the hallway that we just came down; watching as Ethan, and Phillip walk towards us in uniforms – confusing the three of us. The two of them look proud of themselves, chuckling as they stop right next to us as though we should not be shocked by this at all. Why would they ever do this? They're risking everything by sneaking out here in those outfits, going against what all of us had agreed and doing what they feel is best.

"Five hallways to inspect, looks like we'll be splitting up. Who wants which hallway?" asks Ethan with a small grin, stepping towards one of the hallways and peeking down it. He points down it and shakes his head. "I'll take this one if you all don't mind? Might as well split up and cover more ground, than sticking together and taking the chance of raising red flags sooner -"

"It's better if we stick together. Being split up means that we are more vulnerable," I say before grabbing onto Alwin's hand, refusing to allow the two of us to be split up. Looking around at the others, I shake my head quickly as they each take a step towards a different hallway. "Why can't we all just stay together and live through this whole thing?"

Ethan, Sly and Phillip disappear down different hallways, none of them bothering to look back as Alwin turns slightly to look at me. Smiling gently, he squeezes my hand before taking a step backwards. Taking a step after him, I shake my head as the thought of him leaving me hits me hard. Turning, I see that the other three have disappeared. His eyes lock with mine and he gives a slight shake of his head before walking down the hallway, leaving only one open for me. Not really knowing what to do, I turn to the right and stare down what will be my hallway.

My nerves are on edge as I slowly make my way down the hallway; shivers rolling down my spine as my eyes flicker around, trying to take everything in. The walls are a bright cheery yellow, which seems out of place in the President's house and sets me even more on edge. Moving slowly down the hallway, my eyes lock on the curve which seems to me like its out of place with the angle that its going at. Glancing back towards the way that I just came from, I see nothing and quicken my pace – hoping that I'll reach the end of the hallway soon.

"This is just...insane," I mumble under my breath as I approach the curve and a second later I'm falling down. The curve in the hallway has turned into a spiral going downward, a challenge that I was not prepared for. Grunting, I roll down the hall, banging into the walls and biting my lip to stop myself from crying out in pain. "Enough..."

Slamming against a door, I come to a stop with a loud grunt. Curling in on myself, I try to stop myself from shaking. Clinging onto the doorknob, I pull myself up and rest my forehead against the door as I try to give the aches some time to stop. Gasping, I pull the door open and stumble into a large circular room – much like the one that I started out in with the others. Rubbing my back, I look at the other five doors as four of them pop open. I jump back as I watch the four of them tumble into the room, crashing into each other in the center. All four of them look over at me as they begin to get up, but all of us are knocked over as the room begins to spin around.

"This is an unusual punishment, even for the Capitol," mumbles Ethan as the room comes to a stop, making him laugh. He stands up, stumbling around, before running into a door. When he looks around at all of us, I can see the pain clear in his eyes. "Well, as much fun as I've been having I would love to end this while I still have all of my limbs – which might change ten minutes from now."

"I just want to get this over with. Really? Is all of this really needed?" I grumble as I stand, almost falling over but clinging onto Alwin. My eyes go wide as I stare at all of the doors, unsure about which one we should go through. "Um..does anyone know which door we should go through?"

Realization hits everyone else, all of us look from one door to the next – trying desperately to remember which door each of us came through. Slowly, each of us walks towards a door, unsure of what is behind it. I part my lips and turn to look at the others as my hand rest on the doorknob, but wince in pain as a fire flares through my hand and up my arm. Letting go of the knob, I look down at the palm of my hand – which is a dark shade of red, boils pop up on my skin turning a light white.

"No one touch yo-." but I don't have time to finish my sentence, a stream of water blasts into the room. Turning away from the water, I lean my head against the door, accidentally brushing my arm against the knob; making me hiss in pain. Water continues to pour into the room, hosing me down to the floor. "Shut the door now, Ethan! Shut it, you idiot!"

The door bangs shut, leaving everyone breathing hard. Pressing my hand against the wall, I shake my head slowly and wonder how I could have been so stupid. All of this is too much, first a door knob that is too hot, then water blasts me back into the wall but what about the other doors? Will one have a mutant behind it? Taking a shaky breath, I stare at the door that Ethan is standing by and stand.

"Who doesn't mind getting their hand burnt off? I think that this door is the right one..." I say, gesturing towards the door as Alwin looks back at the one that he's standing in front of. "Would anyone like to open the door so we can please get out of here? So we can end this?"

"Ace, I don't think-," starts Alwin, but he's cut off as Ethan takes a step forward. Shock appears in Alwin's eyes as he takes a step forward, to stand beside Ethan. The two of them stare at each other before continuing forward and stopping in front of me. "You truly believe this is the right door?"

I nod my head, the only response that I can give at the moment and Alwin slowly pulls me away from Ethan as he takes another step forward. Holding his hand out over the doorknob, he takes a deep breath before grabbing onto it and opening the door. Ethan is thrown back, fire spreading out across his clothes as fire engulfs the room. My eyes lock on Ethan in horror, blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth as a door is pulled open and I'm thrown through it. Tears build up in my eyes as I turn back and watch as Alwin drags Ethan into the hallway. He's going to die – all of them are going to die because of me...

**The next chapter should be the last part of the war, it just seems to keep going on lol. But I hope that all of you liked the chapter. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**


	44. Chapter 44: All My Fault

**Hey everyone!**

**I am back and with one of the final chapters for this series. After I finish this story I am considering – after many request that I do this...of writing a sequel to Always My Sweetheart. I also was told by my sister to ask if anyone saved any of my chapters for my SYOT, if so please message them to me or e-mail them to me. I would love to work on that story again. Thank you all for the support that you have given me, and I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to update, I started college and was busy. **

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta~ YES! I MISSED YOU! Aww, I hope that your internet is working better now. Oddyseus's death about killed me to write, but I had to because I saw it that way from the beginning. I really loved his character and he meant so much to me. Haha, that's exactly what I thought about that too and haven't gone back to it yet. I like both of those names but would have to go with Marcie, something about that name really got me. I seriously love your reviews, they make my week when I read them, and you'll have to wait and read for those answers...**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

Ethan's body goes limp as the door behind him closes, his eyes locked on me. He gives me a slight smile before he takes a shallow breath and chuckles. Alwin and Philip each hold onto one of Ethan's arms, but he makes a weak attempt of pulling away from them. Holding his hands out in front of them, he starts laughing lightly and shakes his head. Taking a step forward, I take a deep breath before gesturing for them to set him down. We're starting to run out of time but I'm not going to drag him into a war zone like this, and a loud crash lets me know that we're close to it. All of us look at each other, the same question in all of our eyes; who goes on and who stays here with Ethan? Carefully, I take a step back while Philip, Alwin, and Sly whisper to each other. Realizing that none of them are paying attention to me, I turn and start to run down the hallway, of course now is when Ethan decides to make his way into the conversation – loud enough that even I can hear him.

"Why don't I just go with all of you since none of you are doing what you're supposed to be doing? Aren't we supposed to all be protecting the Jabberjay, and not some poor guy who just about had his limbs burned off?" he asks in an amused tone, making them all stop to listen to him. "Have any of you even noticed that just like how the Mockingjay slipped through your fingers that the Jabberjay is doing the exact same thing?"

"Ace! Come back!" They all yell at the same time and the next thing that I know the three of them are chasing after me, leaving Ethan by himself. They continue to yell for me as I run around the corner, almost stopping when I see the fight that's going on in front of me. Pulling out two of my knives, I rush forward as Alwin catches up to me. "Acacia! Get back to Ethan, NOW!"

"Alwin..." I whisper as I look over at him one last time before I throw a knife at a Peacekeeper as he runs at Philip as he easily takes another one down. He turns around just in time to watch the man fall to his knees. Turning, I look at the large mass of groups fighting against each other, attempting to gain the upper hand, but neither one succeeding as more Peacekeepers rush onto the scene. "Come on Acacia...you can do this..."

"Acacia!" A second later I'm knocked onto the floor, gasping at the impact and closing my eyes at the feeling of my stomach smashing into the floor. Philip rolls away from me and lunges himself at two on coming Peacekeepers, moving swiftly in an attempt to miss all of their blows. "Go! You shouldn't be here. Alwin!"

I jump up and hear Alwin yelling for me now, his tone full of worry and annoyance as I look around as the fighting continues. Taking the opportunity that no one is looking for me, I turn and grab my knife before grabbing any other weapons within my reach, as the screams continue.

I ignore the yells from them and make my way deeper into the battle, looking around for any sign of Katniss. Reaching the middle I see a few familiar faces, but not Katniss's. A knife comes flying at me and I duck out of the way a second before it could hit me. Looking around, I throw a knife at a Peacekeeper, watching as it lodges itself in his heart. He falls to the ground, his sword clattering to the floor in front of him. Too tempted to run away, I quickly pick up the sword and run out the nearest door; revealing a spiral staircase that could lead up to my death. Not seeing another option, I quickly begin to run up the stairs with the hope that I can put an end to this.

Reaching the top step, I stare at the door for a second before pushing it open. An arrow flies past my head and lodges itself into the wall, that is when I see Katniss cursing at the President. I run into the room and hold up one of my knives, stopping right behind the President. He looks back at me and laughs darkly, obviously not caring that he's outnumbered. His laughter echoes around the large room and with the snap of his fingers three Peacekeepers come rushing into the room. Katniss glances at me before taking out one of the Peacekeeper's easily.

"I'll take them, you keep him in here," she says in an authoritative tone, that doesn't sit well with me, but I do as she says. She swiftly takes down another, but the last one puts up a fight. He knocks her in the head, but it doesn't seem to phase her as she continues to fight against him. "Where...is...my...daughter?"

The President looks at me before he pulls out a sword and swings it at me in an ark, I block his blow and he attempts to use his weight against me. I am for his legs, but he easily blocks my blade before it can get even half way close to him. He laughs before aiming high with his sword, which I block just in time, but also sending a blow at my stomach with his fist. Doubling over from the blow, he easily hits me in the head with the hilt of his sword making me drop onto my knees.

"Now, now, did you really think that the Jabberjay could defeat me?" His laughter echoes around the room, making my skin crawl. The way that he stares at me, as though I was never a threat to him but only a small problem that could easily be dealt with. "Don't worry, I'll personally make sure that your children are brought up properly. Maybe they'll make you proud and have an honorable death in the Hunger Games?"

My sword goes upward, the blade sinking into his heart and a cold feeling rushes through me as I watch the smile leave his face. His skin begins to grow pale, and he slumps forward, landing on top of me. I cry out in pain as something slices through my leg. "Katniss!"

To my surprise the President's body is lifted off of me easily, my vision going blurry as I look up at Philip who has worry in his eyes. Holding onto my head, I look over at the door, thinking that I'll see Alwin walk in at any second but with each second that passes I become more and more nervous. I watch as a man with blonde hair runs into the room with a young girl in front of him; the girl has Katniss's eyes.

"I think that you're going to have to stop Diligo, he doesn't want to stop and I think that he's got a little too much of your fight in him for his own good," says the man in a light tone as Katniss pulls the young girl into her arms, a few tears roll down her cheeks. "We can go home now.."

I jump up and begin limping towards the door, but Philip stops me and I stare at him. "Is Alwin alright? Where is he? Please..I don't know what I'd do without him. What about Ethan? Did anyone go back to be with him? He's got to be close to dying now if he hasn't..."

"Alwin is fine, but he told me not to let you out of my sight again. You gave all of us a scare," he says simply as he glances at the door as though expecting my husband to walk through at any moment. "Acacia, you should really sit down. Did anything get hurt besides your leg?"

Before I can answer him, Alwin runs into the room blood dripping down his arm, black and blue marks beginning to show on his skin. He wraps his arms around me, making me start to cry as I realize that I'll never have to worry about losing him again. My fingers brush through his hair slowly as we break apart, before going to his face and tracing his features, as though I don't already have them memorized. I smile at him before his lips gently brush against mine in a sweet and gentle kiss, with a hint of passion buried beneath it all.

Gently, I break the kiss and stare at him for a moment trying to form a thought but none come to me as I stare into his eyes. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and rest my forehead against his before wincing, making everything come rushing back to me. "I have to go check on Ethan, he shouldn't of been left alone and if he dies Alyssa won't be the only one who won't ever forgive me."

"Acacia, you're not walking down there." I part my lips to respond but Alwin picks me up in his arms before the words make it out, his fingers gently brush down my back as my arms loop around his neck. "Ethan's already being taken to the hospital, and that's where I'm taking you. When you two are both better you can go see him, but not until then...his injuries are worse than I had thought and you saw him before."

A hollow feeling forms in the pit of my stomach at his words, making me burst into tears as I'm carried down the stairs. My mind begins swirling with different thoughts, overloading me and making me begin to demand that I'm allowed to see Ethan. During my outburst Alwin just continues to carry me through the large building until we reach the hospital. I'm set down onto a bed, when I start thrashing around, yelling at the top of my lungs that I have to see Ethan and now. A needle is inserted into my arm, making me feel light headed and the last thing that I hear is Alyssa's screaming; it echoes around in my mind and pulls me into a nightmare that I cannot escape from. I'm the reason for all of this, and if Ethan dies its all of my fault. All my fault..

**What do all of you think? I'm thinking a few more chapters and the series is over..I feel so weird saying that because I never thought that I would get here. Thank you to all of you for all of the support that you have given me on these stories, it means so much to me. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**


	45. Chapter 45: Was It All For Nothing?

**Hey everyone!**

**Here's the next chapter to the final story in the Acacia series! I have had such a blast writing these stories and want to thank all of you for your support. There will be one or two more chapters after this one, and I cannot wait to hear what all of you think!**

***~KelsNicole~***

"_Aly – please – please...don't do this!" I scream as I attempt to keep my grip on the edge of the ragged rocks. My eyes are locked on her dark, and clouded eyes. She almost barks at me as she laughs, and kneels down beside me with a dagger in her hand. "We're friends – we're best friends! Remember all of that Alyssa? We always said that we would stick together – please don't do this!"_

"_You expect me to buy that? Really?" Pure disgust shows in her eyes as the tip of her dagger touches the tip of my nose, piercing the skin slowly. A drop of blood tinkles onto my lip, making it harder for me to talk as the blood begins to rush out and into my mouth. "Look at what you have done to me! Don't you remember Ethan? You only do what is best for you, and never think about anyone else. It's time for the Jabberjay to fall, and for her to feel the pain that so many of us have felt while she remained untouchable."_

_ The dagger cuts through my skin, lodging itself into my skull, and causing me to scream out in pain. All that it takes is for Alyssa to give me one small push, and I'm sent falling to my death. My eyes close, and I can already hear them announcing the winner of the last Hunger Games that would ever be – the only one that I was not able to win in. But now, I know Alyssa will understand the torment that comes with winning. The ones that you kill never leave you, no, they haunt you in your dreams, and make every living second, of every minute, of every day a living hell._

My breathing quickens slightly as I begin to stir around, attempting to push myself up. I freeze after a few minutes, realizing that I'm not alone. Looking around the room, my eyes settle on a pair of dark ones that stare back at me – almost glaring. A feeling of betrayal rushes through me as the young woman stands, and walks over to me. Alyssa stands still, looking as though she's attempting to decide what she should say first. Finding myself unable to utter a single word to her, I just stare, hoping that she won't be too angry with me but knowing that if she was that I would have to sit here and listen to whatever she had to say to me. As I continue to watch her, I notice that her eyes are red – making me fear the worst. Is Ethan dead? He can't be, he just can't be...he's Ethan. Ethan is supposed to be with Alyssa, anyone could see that. A chill runs down her spine as she considers how she would react if she were to lose Alwin, and what she would do if the person who had been the cause of his death was so close to her. Anger would have overtaken her, making her feel betrayal if their roles had been reversed. What could her best friend be capable of? Would she take it to the extremes because of the betrayal and make her feel the pain and anger that she feels?

"Do you have anything that you would like to say to me? Maybe some sort of explanation?" Alyssa's tone has a bite to it, showing me that it will take me a long time to earn her forgiveness. "Come on, Aca - explain this to me! Explain to me why you took allowed Ethan to risk his life for nothing but your own personal gain?"

"Aly, I swear it wasn't like that. Ethan and I both wanted to keep our loved ones safe..." Biting my lip, I stare at her, wondering if Ethan was still alive or not. "You know that Ethan being killed was the last thing that I wanted to happen. We just-"

"No – there you are lying to me. The last thing that you wanted to happen was for you to be sent back home, and did whatever you could in your power to ensure that you could stay," she practically growls at me, as she begins to pace around the room. "You never stopped to consider what your actions could lead to...who would be hurt by them, or even killed. Tell me, how can you look me straight in the eye and even dare to suggest that you had his best interest in mind? How can someone who I have always considered my best friend sit there and lie to me?"

Speechless, I stare at her for a few moments, and shake my head quickly. "I swear to you, I would never do anything to hurt Ethan. Both of us were just trying to protect you two. Alyssa, please...tell me if Ethan is alright? He's still alive – right? Aly...please tell me..."

"Is he alright? Is Ethan alright – after his body went limp?" Alyssa's tone goes up a few octaves as she circles around the room, her anger rolling at me with a new depth to them; one that I hope that I never feel towards anyone. "He's alive, but they barley saved him. Oh, and just because I thought you might be interested he lost his tongue and an arm. At this moment he is in surgery..."

"He's alive..." I say the words under my breath, before letting out a light sigh. My eyes go wide as I feel my best friend's eyes zeroed in on me. "I'm sorry about what happened, but he's alright..."

"Alright? He's alright when they almost lost him?" Alyssa's eyes begin to water and she turns away from me. As she turns I see a bandage wrapped around her arm with a small bit of cotton underneath it. She walks to the door, and stands in front of it with her door on the handle as she says, "You and Alwin have only lost a little bit of time with your daughter...while Ethan might have lost a whole lot more than that. He might have lost his whole future because of the decisions that you two have made – his future with me...any children that we could have had only a dream for us..."

I stare at her in shock as she yanks the door out of her way, and rushes into the hallway. My hand flies to my stomach, and I rub it slowly – remembering how I felt when I found out that Alwin and I were going to have Lauren. After everything that Alyssa and Ethan have given, neither of them deserved this, but couldn't they still get their happy ending? Pushing myself up, I carefully get out of bed and walk out of my room. My eyes flicker around, attempting to take everything in, but a pair of arms warp around me – causing me to jump.

"Ace, it's just me...it's Alwin. What are you doing up? You should be resting," he says in a light tone, making me burst into tears. His hands gently rub my back, attempting to sooth me. "Let's get you back into bed, and make sure that you get some sleep before you see Laur-"

"No, I am not going to lay down. Alwin...tell me what's going on with Ethan." When our eyes meet, I can see the sadness that showed in Alyssa's boiling over in my husbands. The only response that I get from him is a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "How bad is he? What is he having surgery for?"

His arm slips around my waist, and he leads me down the hall into a small waiting room. We sit down on a small couch, and I rest my head on his shoulder. "Ethan has some injuries that have to be fixed internally, and they do believe that he'll make it through the surgery perfectly fine. His kidneys started to fail, so they had to put him under...and they discussed it with Alyssa before they did anything, but his kidneys are not functioning anymore..."

"They think that he'll come out of it though?" Biting my lip, I push away from him and stand up. Pacing around the room, I stare at the floor before asking in a light tone, "Do any of you know who's kidney Ethan is getting?"

"Mine..." I spin around and stare at Alyssa as she walks farther into the room, her eyes still clouded. Her eyes stay on the ceiling as though it is the most fascinating thing she has ever laid eyes on. "He's out of surgery, and is now recovering. I thought that you two might want to know..."

I practically run over to Alyssa and tackle her in a hug. My pleas for forgiveness slip out of my mouth in a tangled mess, and I can only hope that she'll forgive me some day. Alyssa's arms wrap back around me in a gentle hug, before she releases me. Her breathing becomes slightly ragged as she rubs at her eyes, and quickly shakes her head as she takes a few steps back. A small smile forms on her lips, that she attempts to hide by biting her lip. All that I can do is stand in the same spot, and stare at her – wishing that she would say something...anything.

"I have to go see him...but we'll talk later." She turns and starts to walk out of the room, before freezing for a moment and glances over her shoulder at me. "If you two want to see him...you can probably see him later on tonight, they said that he could only have one visitor and I know that he'll want to see you both soon."

As she walks out of the room, I break down completely and feel someone's arms wrap around me. Seconds later, I am placed back into bed and feel a needle pierce my skin, sending me under into an alternate universe where everyone is safe. My last coherent thought is that I hope that everything that we have all done was not done for nothing. Everyone deserves a happily ever after.

**I hope that all of you liked it! If you haven't already, please check out my other stories. For my lovely readers of Always My Sweetheart there will soon be a sequel to the story! **

**What did all of you think? Thank you for reading, and please leave a review! **


	46. Chapter 46: Droplets of Rain

**Hey everyone, I am so sorry that it took me this long to update - long explanation short: I was really sick and there was a death in my family on top of it. I hope that all of you enjoy one of the last and the newest chapter of the final story in the Acacia series. Right now I'm thinking that there will be two more chapters, one will finish up the present time of the story and the final chapter will be the epilogue. Thoughts on if there should be an epilogue? **

**Thank you so much for all of the support! I'll let you get to reading the new chapter!**

***~KelsNicole~***

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I pace around in front of Ethan's room, waiting for Alwin to come back out and I can finally have my chance to see our old friend. For the past hour and a half I've been out here completely alone, which has given me a lot of time to think everything through. If it's the last thing that I do I'm going to make things right again, starting with me giving anything that I possibly can to my two best friends. Panic begins to course through me at the idea that neither of them will ever forgive me, but I'll do my best to ensure that doesn't happen. Realizing that Alwin wasn't going to come out any time soon I slowly descend down the hallway and look out of the long glass windows that look out over the courtyard. A thin layer of water is quickly building up on the pavement, as small droplets of rain continue to pour down at a horizontal angel. Wrapping my arms around myself, I just stare at the oncoming storm with clouded eyes. It seems as though as soon as one storm ends, another one begins. For the past three years that's all that my life has been, a series of drawn out and violent storms. Was that going to finally come to an end or would I just continue to be disappointed?

Blinking rapidly for a few moments I inhale deeply and think about the positive moments in my life, the ones that have made the series of storms more than bearable. My siblings, mother, father, Uncle Odysseus, little Lauren, our second child, Ethan, Alyssa, Alwin and so many others have helped me through the past three years. I wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for them and that's one thing that I must always remember. There has always been something that made all of the struggles worth it and at times I have lost sight of that, which led me to make some not so honorable decisions. I would change that now though, for the rest of my life I will do my best to help others remember those who sacrificed everything that they had for us to get where we are today.

"Ace…" At the sound of his voice, I quickly turn around and my eyes meet his. Worry is clear in his eyes as he stops next to me. When his hands reach out for me, I quickly walk past him but he grabs onto my hand. "He's alright – he's going to be alright."

Pulling my hand out of his, I quickly make my way to Ethan's room – unable to wait another second. When I reach his door, I quickly push it open and tears blur my vision at the very sight of him. Ethan lays in bed completely unconscious with tubes sticking out of him, and machines' surround him beeping in a loud and obnoxious way. Stepping into the room I just stare at Ethan in shock, but the clicking sound of the door closing snaps me back into reality. As I make my way forward, realization hits me that I wasn't expecting him to look so broken. Was I really ready for this? The only thought in my mind for the next few minutes is: what have I done?

"Ethan…" I sob as I kneel down beside him and take his hand gently. With everything inside of me I beg for this to be a nightmare that I'll wake up from at any second. But that only causes for the pain to drag on, which makes me feel weaker by the second. "Wh-wh-at h-h-hav-ve I….do-one? You…I am so so-or-rry."

My tears finally boil over and rush down my cheeks and I rest my head against his hand. The sound of my sobs echo around the room, which mixes with the beeping sounds of the machines' and makes me feel as though I am slowly slipping from this reality. How could I have allowed this to happen? Alyssa was right, all that I was doing was thinking about myself and now Ethan had to pay the price. Almost in response to my sobs, one of his machines makes a loud and drawn out beeping sound as his body begins to tremble, which only makes me grip onto his hand harder. I wasn't ready to let go – not yet. But a pair of hands tug on me, pulling me away from my friend and out into the hallway. I continue to sob as I press my back against the wall and slide down it slowly, allowing this horrible reality to take me over.

I stare out of the window as I sit in the waiting room, waiting for any news about Alyssa and Ethan. Alwin told me that Ethan was being prepped for surgery as he led me away from the room, but he then told me that Alyssa's surgery was expected to be completed in an hour or two. All that I can do right now is sit here and hope for the best, but my hope is beginning to diminish by the second. They'll both be okay – they'll both be okay…they have to be okay, there's no way that they cannot be. My two best friends deserve so much better than this, and all that I can do is think back through my choices – causing me to tally up how many I would change in this second.

"Ace…" whispers Alwin, causing me to look up and see that he is speaking with a tall man in bright blue scrubs. They both remain silent as I stand and walk over to them. "Alyssa is out of surgery and is stable and Ethan is heading in for his surgery."

"When can I see her?" I ask impatiently, feeling as though if I were denied this I would force my way back there. After a few seconds I bite my lip, considering what my best option would be. "Please – I really have to see her…"

The doctor gives me a small smile before sighing and says, "In half an hour. They need to get her into recovery and check a few things. A nurse will be out to see the two of you when she's ready to have visitors."

He leaves the two of us, causing me to begin to pace as worry floods my mind again. Alyssa was alright, but would Ethan's surgery be as much of a success? I continue with these thoughts until a nurse with wavy blonde hair with sky blue streaks approaches me. She gives me a warm smile as she leads me back to where Alyssa is, during which she explains to me how well everything has gone and how she was convinced that Ethan's surgery would go over as well as Alyssa's. Here and there she made small comments about how Aly could improve her hair color – with a few streaks of bright and cheerful colors, and how her eyes would be even more captivating if they were a light violet color. When we reach our destination, I rush past the annoying woman and move to my best friend's side just as her eyes begin to flutter open.

"Aly – I…you're alright," I whisper as I take her hand in mine and tears rush down my cheeks. For a few seconds she just stares at me, before giving me a small smile and her eyes begin to water. "Everyone has been telling me how they are sure that Ethan's surgery is going to go perfectly. You two will be back together in no time."

For a second longer Alyssa smiles before it fades and tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She leans forward slightly as a sob escapes from her. In a light voice all that she can manage to say between her sobs is, "I hope so."

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**I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and I plan on uploading the next chapter soon. Please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!  
**


	47. Chapter 47: A Way to Honor

**Hey everyone!**

**Here is the second to the last chapter in the Acacia series, which makes me happy and sad at the same time. I hope that all of you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. The last chapter will be the epilogue and I will show what happens with all of them. Question, do you think Acacia and Alwin have a few more children? **

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

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I lay in the waiting room with my head on Alwin's shoulder as we wait to hear the status of Ethan. My stomach begins to churn as the seconds tick by, which quickly turns into minutes and eventually into hours. Is it supposed to take this long? Maybe something went wrong? Would they even bother to tell us if something has happened? The many possibilities rush through my mind, causing a shiver to run down my spine. The sun shines brightly, casting a light ray of hope into the room as we wait to hear any news on Ethan. No news is good news - right? That's what I have always thought, until today that is. My patience is being worn down as the minutes tick by, seeming to almost taunt me in a way until I hear a light cough from ahead of me. Quickly, my gaze flickers over to a man in a white coat and he smiles warmly at me. After a few seconds, I'm on my feet and feeling more anxious than ever. I stare at the doctor as my body feels as though it is about to explode, unable to stop myself I step forward but Alwin stops me before I can utter a single word. How can he be so calm about all of this? Ethan and Alyssa are our friends, or at least that's what I have always thought of them. Shouldn't he be panicking? Or am I over reacting, yet again? No, I'm not over reacting, if anything he is the one who is in the wrong this time. As the doctor's lips part, a sob escapes from me and my heart skips a few beats as the uncertainty hangs over me like a dark cloud. Both Alwin and the doctor look over at me, as though they were afraid that anything would push me over the edge at this very second, but I give a small nod in the hopes that the doctor would continue. He gives me a gentle smile before clearing his throat and gestures to an empty room behind him, which we all walk into. Settling into our seats, I keep my eyes locked on him and attempt to read his facial expressions but he doesn't give away a single thing which causes my nerves to almost snap like a rubber band. He places a folder in front of him before coughing once again and giving both of us a gentle smile.

"I have some good news for the two of you, your friend's surgery went perfectly well," he says in a wheezy voice as he opens the folder and begins to shift through a large pile of papers. "He'll be ready for visitors in the next half an hour to an hour, but that depends on when the nurse believes that he's ready and is settled in. The bad news is that we can't do anything about...the extremely sad and horrible condition of his ability to speak or lack of."

"He'll be an avox? Are there any studies that could possibly find something to help those who have the inability to speak?" I ask in an almost desperate tone, not really caring what anyone - let alone this doctor thinks of me. The horror washes over me and I swear to myself that one day he will speak again. "I'll help find a way to change that, there has to be a way...look at how far everything else has come..."

As I speak, the doctor begins to shift around in his chair in discomfort causing an irritation to build up inside of me. His eyes remain on the papers in front of him before he sighs and replies in a simple tone with, "We're doing all that we can for the boy, but at the moment we don't have anything that can be substituted for his missing tongue. As you know, our technology is extremely advanced and is continuing forward. One day there may be something that we can do for him, but that day is defiantly not going to be today or within the next few days."

"Thank you, we'll keep all of that in mind Dr. Owen. Is there any way that Alyssa will be able to visit Ethan tonight?" pipes up Alwin, as he takes my hand in his. "She's been extremely worried about him too and I know that would help put her mind at ease."

"I see no reason why they shouldn't see each other tonight, so I'll have a quick word with their nurses and ensure that happens." Dr. Owen makes a quick note on a small pad and smiles at the two of us as he begins to stand. Gathering up his papers he says, "You two wait out here and I'll have a nurse come get you when Ethan is ready, but I have to go check on both of them again. Do either of you have any questions for me before I leave?"

I begin to open my mouth and Alwin clears his throat with a small shake of his head before he drags me out of the small room. When we sit back down, I just glare at him causing him to begin to shift in his seat as though he was attempting to get comfortable. After a few minutes, our eyes finally meet and he just sighs before scratching the back of his head. Crossing my arms, I raise an eyebrow before he finally smiles.

"What are you upset about? Everything's going great and we'll get to see Ethan in a little while." His hand finds mine and gives it a light squeeze before he smiles gently. "Ace, I know how your temper is when you're pregnant and the last thing that I needed was to pry you off of the doctor who is currently treating two of our friends. Let's just try to sit here and relax until we're called back, after that I'm taking you to Dula and the rest of your family."

I curl up against Alwin and close my eyes, not wanting to argue with him because I know my hormones will push me into overdrive. His arm wraps around me tightly and he kisses the top of my head as I cuddle closer to him. It's hard to describe but the closer that I am to him, the more safe that I feel. Everything that has happened in the past few days causes me to begin to tremble, many faces flash through my mind from the last few years – many of them aren't around to see the beginning of a new time, a better time. Right here, I promise myself that I won't let their sacrifices be in vain and I'll tell my children about them. Each and every person should be remembered in a special way….

"Ace, are you alright? You were shaking in your sleep and mumbled something under your breath, but I couldn't make it out." His voice is gentle as my eyes flicker open and I stare at him with unfocused eyes as I begin to stand. "What are you doing? They might be out here in a few minutes to let us back – are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine – I just have to go…speak with someone." I quickly exit the waiting room and make my way through the building, only stopping when I reach a small office and knock on the door. There's a shuffling sound inside and a few seconds later the door is pulled open slowly. "We have to talk about something, it won't take long."

Without waiting for a response, I enter the office and walk over to a chair that's facing his desk. The door closes gently and my father walks around to sit on the other side, his eyes remain on me as I tap my fingers together. For a few minutes we both remain quiet, waiting for the other one to be the first to speak. I bite on my lip as I look down at the floor, attempting to decide how I should word my request – it's something that I know has to happen and I won't stop until he agrees to do it, after all he was stepping in the President's spot and even though it may be temporary – this was the best opportunity that I'll ever have to get this completed. Taking a deep breath, I finally look up at my father with a fire in my eyes.

"Many have lost their lives in this war and I want them to be honored in a way that won't disappear after only a few hours or days…" I trail off and attempt to read my father's reaction, but his expression remains the same. Inhaling again I continue, "I think that there should be a memorial built in the center of the Capitol with all of their names written across the bricks, rocks and other things that are related to it. Will you make sure that this happens?"

His eyes narrow slightly as he thinks before nodding slowly. "I'll make sure that happens, but it'll take a while for all of that to be built. If I'm not chosen to be the President, I'll talk with the chosen President and pitch your idea to him. There isn't a reason why anyone would object to that, and I'm sure that you'll get it. Now, I have a request of my own…go and see Ethan."

I smile at my father in thanks before walking out of his office and back down the hallway. Alwin's not there when I return and a nurse walks up to me, letting me know that I can go back now. She leads me to Ethan's room and I stand there for a few seconds in the doorway, watching as Alyssa and Ethan hold hands. A wide smile forms on Aly's lips as she speaks to him in a gentle tone and I quickly turn around to give them privacy. It won't hurt me to wait a few minutes or hours to see Ethan, as long as I know that he's alright. He and Alyssa deserve some time alone together, which I'll make sure they'll have a lot of in the future. As for my future, I can see it shining brightly with all of its potential and promises. Yes, all would be well in time for not only me but everyone else and I wouldn't stop until that was not only a dream but a reality.

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**Thank you for reading and please leave a review! The final chapter should be up soon!  
**


	48. Chapter 48: The Next Great Adventure

**Hey everyone!**

**Here is the final chapter in the Acacia Series - which I'm so happy about. I love the way that it turned out and I hope that all of you do too. This was my first ever Hunger Games story and my first ever intended story to have more than one story attached to it. I'm so sad to see it end, but proud at the same time. For the last time for Acacia Lily Yarrow Coin: Jabberjay...  
**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

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**Fifteen Years Later:**

Sitting behind my desk, I quickly finish my paperwork before carefully placing it in a folder marked as _District Thirteen – Confidential, only for the eyes of Mayor Maggie L. Smalington. _I stare at the now almost empty bin in front of me and decide to take a well-deserved break. Touching my tightly wound bun to ensure that it's still in place, I begin to stand and stretch like a kitten who's been in one position for way too long. Moving my hands down to my dress I smooth it out and walk to the door, pulling it open slowly before glancing around one last time. As I make my way down the hallway I nod my head at my co-workers and smile softly as they address me with my proper title. When I reach the end of the hallway and begin to descend down the side stairs, a short man appears behind me with a large notebook and begins to read off my schedule for the day. I only half listen to him as I make my way into a large dining room and accept a cup of coffee and quickly begin to drink it as I sit down across from my husband, who merely sighs and shakes his head slowly. Settling into my seat, I hold up a small envelope before offering it to my second oldest daughter Bridgette, who almost immediately loses it to Lauren. They bicker for a few seconds before Bridgette's twin brother Odysseus enters the room and quickly grabs the envelope from them with a mischievous smile forms on his lips, before he offers the envelope to Emma and Garret. Having enough of the game, Alwin holds his hand out to Emma and she quickly hands it over to him.

"I hope that you've informed your staff that you'll be unavailable tonight, because Ethan and Alyssa are coming over with the kids," says Alwin as he begins to open the envelope, but his eyes remain fixed on me. He tilts his head to the side as I nod and sip at my coffee, with a small smile forming on my lips. "Another thing that I was thinking about…the kids haven't been to District Thirteen in a while, so I was thinking that we could head out there one time in the next few months so that they can see everyone again?"

"I'll have Beth and Sophie arrange it once they've returned. There's a meeting that I'm having tomorrow that I can't miss though." I lift up my spoon and take a quick bite of my food as everyone stares at me. My eyes remain on the plate in front of me until Alwin makes a loud sound in surprise and I look up to see him looking down at the opened letter. "That's what the meeting is going to be about and I have no doubt in my mind that Beth will make a fine replacement."

"Wait – what?" asks Bridgette as she looks up from her magazine with wide eyes, her expression matches Odysseus's perfectly. She blinks a few times and the surprise slowly begins to fade away, which is replaced with uncertainty. Her eyes dart around the table, meeting each and every single pair of eyes before they settle on me once again. "What's going on mom? Are you planning on leaving the Capitol and for good this time?"

Lacing my fingers together I inhale deeply as I consider how to answer her question properly. I understand her fear, one that I'm sure that Odysseus, Emma, and Garret share with her. My gaze shifts from the uncertainty and fear of four of my children, only to land on expressions of not only approval but gratitude. "I know that the four of you haven't lived outside of the Capitol, but I feel like this is what's best for our family and it'll give us more time to spend with one another – as a family. Lauren and your father have wanted this for a long time, which is why I've considered it for years before deciding on it."

"Thank you mom," whispers Lauren with a small smile, before she stands and walks around the table to give me a gentle hug. She's practically bouncing in place with excitement, which I know is because she'll be able to see Travis more often. "I'll go into the main room to wait for Aunt Aly and Uncle Ethan – I hope that they're here soon!"

I watch as my baby runs out of the room, leaving her siblings sitting here with solemn expressions on their faces at the news. This would be hard on them, but they'll all adjust and will see how much more we can have back home. One by one, they each get up and leave the room as I rest my head on the top of my intertwined hands. Why don't they understand that this was bound to happen at one time or another? My time of being President has lasted way longer than I had originally expected – thirteen years to be exact, and so much has changed. Yes, this is the right decision for my family and everyone will see that over time – I have to remember that. Nothing lasts for forever, and the time has come for me to move onto my next adventure with Alwin.

Alwin stands and offers me his arm, and we walk into the sitting room together. I feel as though this huge change has already improved things for the two of us and has filled us both with excitement. He stops in the doorway and we both smile at our two best friends, watching as they sit with their seven children. Travis, Colin, Seilee, Fay, Corrine, Ashlee and Morgan sit around the room with our children mixed in with them. I watch as Lauren stands and takes Travis's hand giving me a small smile, before she leads him out of the room. We walk farther into the room and the children quickly break off into their own little groups to go do their own things.

"Alyssa, Ethan…" I say with a small smile before I sit down on the couch across from them with Alwin by my side. My smile grows wider with excitement as I am given a small folder from Luis and I nod in thanks, before shifting through the papers slowly. When I find the slip of paper that I'm looking for, I offer it to both of them and say, "We've been doing a lot of testing and experiments. Dr. Owen has informed me that all of the procedures have been done perfectly, and that every single person has the ability to speak again. Following the procedure, every single patient is put through a program which helps them learn to talk properly again."

"Aca…you don't mean that – Ethan's not up for this procedure is he? I don't know if we can afford it..." whispers Alyssa as she looks over the single sheet of paper. She leans against her husband, who rubs her back soothingly as tears build up in her eyes. "I'd love to have him be able to talk again, but…we can't just jump into this…we weren't even aware that the technology was available for this. Maybe in the next few years-"

"Aly, we're paying for it. Think of it as a thank you for everything that the two of you have done for us, and don't worry about a thing," responds Alwin with a wide grin. He takes a large envelope from me and holds it out to Ethan. "Your appointment for the procedure is tomorrow, we'll be there with you two through it all and you'll be released from the facility in a day or two – depending on how everything goes. But that is the typical amount of time that one spends there for evaluation."

"You two…really don't have to do this. That's a lot and…I…" Biting her lip Alyssa trails off as the tears begin to boil over and her body begins to tremble. She stands and I do the same, only seconds later we're hugging each other tightly. "Thank you so much, I don't know how they found this procedure but I'm so thankful for it. I haven't heard his voice in so long and the kids…have never heard his voice – it'll be something that we cherish."

All that I can do is smile at my best friend as we continue to hug. Neither of us had ever expected for us to be where we are today, especially after everything that it took for us to get here. I know deep down in my heart that everything happened for a reason, the good and the bad, but it still doesn't make me feel as though I should have done more to help others live to see the future that they helped us create. Ethan and Alwin lead us out into the garden, into the bright sunshine. My gaze flickers around the bricks that make up the building, a small smile forms as I stare at two bricks side by side that say Odysseus and Ashlee. All of the things that I set out to accomplish have been completed, and that is what tells me that it's time to move on.

As we sit down at a small table that overlooks the water, I notice that Ethan and Alwin are smirking at each other. Raising an eyebrow, I take a biscuit off of the platter and take a small bite off of it before finally giving in. Sighing, I ask, "What are you two smirking about?"

"Well, we both have some news for you too." Alwin and Ethan pick up their glasses, clinging them together as their eyes sparkle. Taking a small sip of his drink, Alwin chuckles before saying, "Ethan and I have agreed that I should become the Mayor of District Thirteen. I've spoken with a few people and they've agreed that I should run."

I almost choke on my biscuit and just stare at him, not fully understanding his words. Alwin hasn't ever mentioned becoming Mayor to me before now, but everyone else had said that they could see it happening later on in life. Holding my hand over my mouth I shake my head slowly, this would be our next great adventure – there's no doubt about that.

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**Thank you for supporting my writing and I hope that all of you have enjoyed the series. For the final time, thank you so much for reading and please leave a review.**


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